Schools teach both technical and ethical use of Al: Chan

Students given different levels of exposure by age, taught to guard against risks of tech

- Shermaine Ang

Beyond technical skills, schools equip students to use artificial intelligence (AI) ethically and give them varying levels of exposure according to their age, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.

"We will always couple the learning of the technical use of AI with the ethical use of AI," he said. This includes knowing the benefits as well as the downsides of certain AI products.

Mr Chan said in Parliament on Jan 9 that primary school pupils may be introduced to AI, while secondary school students may use generative AI to come up with designs in their coursework.

Students from institutes of higher learning may learn how AI draws information from various sources, and think about potential biases of the algorithm. 

He was responding to five MPs who raised supplementary questions on topics ranging from how AI is being used to prepare students for the workforce and how they are learning to grapple with the risks of fake news, to whether AI-related school work is being graded.

Mr Chan said that while lessons on AI for primary school pupils aimed at providing exposure may not be graded, AI may be used for graded assignments at higher levels, for instance, when used as a tool to aid polytechnic students' coursework in interior design.