Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming sectors from healthcare to transportation, and education is no exception. As a significant force in our daily lives, AI's influence is only set to grow, shaping the world in ways many of us are only starting to fathom.
Today's children are growing up with AI as a norm, not an exception. From digital assistants in our homes (think Alexa!) to automated systems in schools, AI's pervasiveness is undeniable. This influence will extend to their learning, communication, and play. Regardless of our comfort levels with this new reality, we arguably have a significant responsibility as parents and educators to equip children to navigate this AI-infused landscape with confidence.
The challenge for us, then, is to help our children understand AI's essence, workings, and potential. AI education extends beyond coding or robotics. It's about enabling a comprehensive understanding of how AI can be utilized to create solutions and drive innovation (have you adopted ChatGPT as your brainstorm buddy yet?). This education will be increasingly vital to equip our young ones with skills to use AI responsibly and effectively. One of our major duties is the same as it has been for generations of parents and educators: to prepare our children for an unknown future. For us today, that involves a future where problems may be vastly different from today's, and its solutions may likely rely on AI. So how can we preparing children for an AI-driven world, and also empowering them to shape that world innovatively?
Here are a few tips to understand and facilitate this journey:
1. Learn the Basics: There are no shortage of articles detailing AI’s impact on various industries. Read them! Watch YouTube videos to see tutorials, and create your own free ChatGPT account. Try it out!
2. Identify AI in Daily Life: Pay attention to examples of AI in everyday life. The more you recognize technologies such as Alexa, Google, GPS are AI- driven, the you’ll find more example and realize just how common place AI is in our lives already.
3. Engage with Schools: Understand how your child's school integrates AI into the curriculum to comprehend its influence on their learning. How do they train their teachers to use these technologies?
4. Talk About It: Ask your kids questions to learn what they already know
and what they’d like to know about AI. What do they think is a responsible
way to use AI? Talking not just about the concept of AI, but the values you
want at the core of your children using AI, is a powerful place to begin your
learning journey together.
AI isn’t going away and will only continue to more prevalent in our daily lives. By adopting an attitude of curiosity and learning, we can better prepare our children for a future we can only imagine.