New guidelines surrounding artificial intelligence in the classroom have been put forward by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
UNESCO released its “Guidance on Generative AI in Education and Research” on Thursday, unveiling a call to its 193 member states to consider an age limit of 13 for using AI in school. This is currently the age limit to use ChatGPT, an AI app, and is the limit set by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of the United States of America. This law prohibits companies and online platforms from providing services to children.
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This guidance lists a seven-step recommendation which includes regulations on data, generative AI, and AI ethics, along with updates to current copyright laws and whole-of-government strategies regarding the technology. It also acknowledged what it called the “controversies” regarding AI, namely the use of content without permission and generating deepfakes, which could lead to “worsening digital poverty,” “polluting the internet,” a “lack of understanding the real world,” and “reducing the diversity of opinions.”
“Generative AI can be a tremendous opportunity for human development, but it can also cause harm and prejudice,” Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay said in a statement. “It cannot be integrated into education without public engagement, and the necessary safeguards and regulations from governments. This UNESCO Guidance will help policymakers and teachers best navigate the potential of AI for the primary interest of learners.”
Early models of AI are already being used in the classroom, helping design curriculum and create math-related problem-solving prompts. The guidance cited EduChat and MathGPT as two examples.
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This comes after a poll from Gallup found in August that 63% of Americans are not satisfied with the quality of K-12 education, while only 36% said they are satisfied, including a meager 8% who said they were “completely satisfied.”
UNESCO approved the United States returning as a full-fledged member in June, at the cost of $619 million. Additionally, the country will pay roughly $100 million annually, 22% of the committee’s budget, to remain a voting member.
