The Senate is now wrestling with how students — and teachers — might use Artificial Intelligence in the classroom. Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said, ‘The question is not whether AI is going to impact education. The real question is whether we will shape its use thoughtfully. Responsibly.’

Concerns About AI in Education

Lawmakers are focusing not just on what AI teaches students, but how. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., asked, ‘What do we know when it comes to long term cognitive impact of the use of this technology?’ Erin Mote, CEO of InnovateEDU and the EDSAFE AI Alliance, replied, ‘We have no causal studies on long term impact on social or cognitive development.’

Since the rush to technology in classrooms about 12 years ago, the percentage of high school seniors performing at grade level in math and reading is down four points from 2009, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. David Slykhuis of Valdosta State University said, ‘The students did not learn the content better and their social and emotional health has suffered greatly.’

Privacy Concerns and Teacher Reliance on AI

There are also privacy concerns, as AI can glean what each student learns and knows. AI could harvest what lessons they’ve covered and how fast students picked up different concepts. Teachers are already leaning on AI to develop lesson plans and grade papers, which could spell trouble if teachers or professors use an AI rubric to grade subjective assignments.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said, ‘The foundational relationship between a child and a teacher is not something that AI is going to recreate.’ Educators want to know how AI may shift their roles and if the concept of a ‘teacher’ or ‘professor’ will change tomorrow.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.