Schools should introduce AI and teach youngsters how to use the technology ethically, experts have said.
Speaking at a Times of Malta event earlier on Wednesday, IT experts said the time had come to introduce generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E to schools, arguing it was better to introduce such tools to children at a younger age.
But they also stressed the importance of pairing this with teaching students about the ethics and possible implications of using such technologies.
ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI – a US company backed by investors including Elon Musk – can provide written content and interactive conversations about subjects as diverse as science, literature, arts, computer programming and philosophy.
DALL-E, meanwhile, uses AI to create images from text prompts.
“Start to teach students how to use generative AI from a young age, because at least that way, they will have an idea about what digital innovation is about,” said chief strategy officer at the Malta Digital Innovation Authority Gavril Flores.
“It’s a quick one, but it would start ensuring young minds are not averse to technology... and if there is a new technology, try it out in a safe zone. Give space in schools for kids to try it out,” he said.
However, Flores said it was important for students to “think critically and think about the ethical implications... about how it can go wrong and the implications of that.”
Speaking after the event, Flores remarked he was aware of some tools such as ChatGPT being experimented with in classrooms already, but that there were “many more” possible uses of the technology in education.
Pointing to tools allowing images to be created from a text prompt as an example, he said students could take photos of heritage sites and ask AI to create an image of how the sites would have looked at the time they were built.
Fellow panellist Carm Cachia agreed with Flores, saying it would be a “big failure” if generative AI tools weren’t properly explored in schools, something he thinks it should be “mandatory”.
Education Ministry digital literacy director Neil Attard said even students cheating using the technology presented learning opportunities.
“When we know a student has used ChatGPT to do their homework, we ask them what questions they would ask to get that answer – so they’re forced to read the text and reverse-engineer the process to get the answer,” he said.
Their comments reflect how quickly the tool has become an important talking point, and in some cases a headache, for educators since it was first unveiled to the public in November 2022.
In January last year – less than three months after it was first made publicly available – it emerged that University of Malta staff were holding senior level meetings to discuss possible student abuse of ChatGPT.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the education ministry said generative AI had been introduced into the education system, with the software “used or permitted for specific tasks within a controlled environment.”
He added students were also being taught the “pros and cons” of such tools and how to use them responsibly.