Educators should teach students how to use AI tools but with an emphasis on the ethics, social impact, and potential biases of the tech, experts said Thursday during a conversation sponsored by Harvard Education Press.
Stephanie Smith Budhai and Marie Heath, who co-authored “Critical AI in K–12 Classrooms,” told Teddy Svoronos, senior lecturer of public policy at the Kennedy School, that responsible use of AI requires a healthy dose of skepticism. In other words: Resist the hype by asking hard questions.
“Does this really align with our visions of education?” said Heath, associate professor of learning design and technology at Loyola University Maryland. “Does this serve communities, as opposed to the folks who are developing this technology and telling us it’s going to be transformative?”
Budhai, associate professor of educational technology at the University of Delaware, said that teacher education programs should include training on how to help students examine the effects of AI inside and outside the classroom, including its environmental impact. A sort of critical AI literacy is needed, she said.
“We’re not saying we have to be anti-tech,” said Budhai. “We’re saying: Let’s think about the bigger questions. … Students need to build a critical consciousness around the ways we interact with AI and understand how it works.” She added: “They need to really understand the harms of it.”
