Tech experts recognized the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to advance education, amid the worries that these tools might encourage students to become over-reliant on technology.
“(AI) It’s kind of just like with computers. Our computers help us get better—it (AI) will really help in education,” Startpoint‘s executive chair Paco Sandejas told Interaksyon.
The tech service company’s Chief Executive Officer MR Dela Cruz, meanwhile, said the AI is a tool that raises the bar for students, comparing it to a calculator.
“Before there was a calculator in school ‘di ba, you had to compute everything. Nung nagkaroon na ng calculator, na-raise na yung bar. Since may calculator na, they (instructors) can give you all of these difficult problems, because you just use your calculator,” she said.
The same goes for the research, as students are expected to submit faster than before, given the internet, Dela Cruz added.
With the advent of ChatGPT and other AI tools, Dela Cruz said the public is still adjusting.
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“Nandoon pa lang tayo sa hindi pa tayo sanay. We will rebalance later the expectation is ah, all research will be AI-assisted, therefore the expectation of you of the teachers will be much higher because you already have these tools,” Dela Cruz said.
“Everything is new yet, but I think that’s where it’s headed. It’s just so cool,” she added.
Dela Cruz, however, stressed that AI is useless without humans.
“AI, doesn’t work without the human,” she said.
“What we see now is, really, (AI) it’s helping the human become more efficient, but you still need human inputs for AI to work. Otherwise, you cannot trust it to do the job without the human,” Dela Cruz added.
Adapting AI to education
Sandejas said the emergence of AI tools in education poses a concern about how educational institutions could understand and educate themselves about the power of AI.
Recently, the University of the Philippines AI faculty suggested that the university should revisit the definition of academic integrity and consider the use of AI tools.
This came after a report that a student allegedly used ChatGPT to submit an essay.
While AI tools drew ire as they can be used in cheating, UP AI professors said: “it would be frivolous to ban AI tools in university computer networks.”
“The use of Al tools to enhance and facilitate the student’s learning should be encouraged,” it added.
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Likewise, Sandejas, also the founder and CEO of Xepto Education, said AI should be considered in how students should be educated to respond to the demands of the future.
“I won’t train them for a job that will disappear, right? Do a job that will use AI to be an amazing and creative person,” he said.
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