OCSB director of education Tom D'Amico, centre, believes AI education could allow students to think critically about digital content and social issues. The Ottawa Catholic School Board will start teaching students about the potential benefits and risks of generative artificial intelligence as early as this fall.
"I think it really should be equated to when the internet came in, or when electricity came in," D'Amico said. "It has the potential to support and impact every single student and staff member in our board if we do it right." "Those students … can participate in the learning process when they're not just relying on text-based teaching and learning," he said.- Tom D'Amico, OCSB. In 2021, researchers at Stanford University in California and McMaster University in Hamilton asked ChatGPT to generate text about Muslims. It used words such as "violence" and "shooting" 66 out of 100 times, far more often than in text generated about Christians or Jews.
Omer Livvarcin, a University of Ottawa business professor writing a book about ethical AI use for non-profit organizations, said this is a good first step. He said a teacher's best response when encountering discriminatory content is to explain that AI makes mistakes. D'Amico said he shares this concern, which is why OCSB media literacy lessons will encourage students to use AI for feedback on assignments rather than generating entire essays.
"Perhaps doing stuff without the use of technology in the classroom, or relying on the analytical skills of our students," she suggested.