It is no secret that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been turning heads, and many questions have been raised regarding its implications and whether it is okay to use. Technology has continued to advance, from desktops to computers to faster and stronger processing units; the science behind it all has grown exponentially. However, the most significant change in the world of technology we have seen is the birth and use of AI.
Artificial Intelligence began making its way into minds by introducing characters in science fiction movies. The first person to believe that such pieces of machine could be home to the same thoughts as human beings was Alan Turing, a British polymath who began to write these ideas down in a 1950 paper, Computing Machinery and Intelligence, where he discussed how these machines could become a reality and test their intelligence. Unfortunately, not much could be done regarding following this idea due to financial limitations. However, a few years later, the Research and Development Corporation (RAND) funded the concept and allowed three scientists to create what many people consider the first AI program, the Logic Theorist, and presented this idea to the world at the 1956 Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. Unfortunately, not many could agree on the methods that should be used in this field, but luckily, everyone could agree that AI was no longer a fantasy and could be achieved.
During one of the talks in the Neuroscience 300 seminar, Dr. Joe Vukov came and talked about whether AI could be conscious and if it had any sentience to it. During this talk, he pointed out how Blake Lemoine, a former researcher at Google, was fired for saying a new Google AI was aware, and the view that it cost his job is founded on the Turing Test. This test asks a series of questions to a human and computer respondent. Such a test leads to ideas following in line with functionalism, creating a possibility that sentience could exist in AI. However, these ideas face challenges when encountering the Chinese Room, a thought experiment designed to determine if a computer understands what is being asked of it or if it is just simulating the ability to understand, in this case, the Chinese language. These points and questions about AI lead to how such a machine can be used in classrooms. Today, many of these classrooms have adopted the “new and improved” AI to help the new generations learn various subjects despite the many questions that have yet to be answered.
With artificial intelligence growing and changing daily, it makes sense that one day, there will be complete answers to whether it is capable of being aware and conscious. Most fictional movies say that machines will take over the world one day, which is just starting to become a reality. In the Artificial Intelligence Education for Young Children: A Case Study of Technology-enhanced Embodied Learning study, researchers investigated how children could be engaged with AI at a young age. This study was conducted because the new generations will grow up to use artificial intelligence in various ways. AI can be found almost anywhere in the world, and knowing how to use such a system could be crucial in the upbringing of these children as it is a vital part of digital literacy. Although AI has many potential benefits in classrooms, the question remains of how these skills can be taught to young children. This study showed that the best way to teach young children how to use AI is through interaction with the interface in various learning contexts. Early exposure to AI could also help children retain this information as they grow older and the technology becomes far more advanced than it is today. Having such knowledge could give them an edge in discovering new information on AI once they age and even learn new concepts we have yet to think of. AI being used in classrooms could also help teachers and professors find a way to make content more engaging by using realistic scenarios as examples.
Though we still have much to learn about artificial intelligence and the implications it could have on everyday life, starting with classrooms, the field behind it has yet to grow and become more advanced. However, it is essential to begin teaching the younger generations how to navigate a world in which technology is everywhere and how to use it. If the same can be done for learning new languages or other crucial skills such as reading, writing, math, etc., then it should be just as important to learn about a digital program, even if it is not conscious or aware, as one day it possibly could.
References:
Yang, W., Hu, X., Yeter, I. H., Su, J., Yang, Y., & Lee, J. C. (2023). Artificial intelligence education for young children: A case study of technology‐enhanced embodied learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12892
Anyoha, R. (2020, April 23). The history of artificial intelligence. Science in the News. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/history-artificial-intelligence/
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