Time for a Pause: Without Effective Public Oversight, AI in Schools Will Do More Harm Than Good. Page: 4
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extent of these changes. The core elements of learning and the types of interactions that take
place in schools should be thoughtfully considered, with the resulting policies and practices
following from deliberation decisions.
Advocates for Al claim that it will transform teaching and learning for the better. This will
not happen, however, if integrating Al into the pedagogy of schools degrades the relation-
ship between teachers and students. It will not happen if the Al imposes a rigid mechanistic
model of instruction, corrupts curriculum with misinformation, and biases consequential
decisions about student performance. It will not happen if integrating Al into schools' ad-
ministrative processes locks schools and districts into an expensive "stack" of corporate tech
systems for many of their everyday operations, with the result that funds available for other
uses-including the teachers who can develop deep connections with nation's students-are
increasingly shifted to corporate vendors. It will not happen if the Al exacerbates viola-
tions of student privacy, increases surveillance, and further reduces the transparency and
accountability of educational decision-making.
All of these harms are likely if lawmakers and others do not step in with carefully considered
regulations.
As existing school-focused products are updated to include newly created AI-based prod-
ucts, the immediate danger facing schools is not a future apocalypse as predicted by technol-
ogy industry leaders. Rather, the danger is that-in the absence of responsible development,
proper evaluation, or regulatory oversight-untested, opaque Al models and applications
will become enmeshed in routine school processes.
The evidence set forth in this policy brief alarms us. The adoption of largely unregulated Al
systems and applications would, we conclude, force students and teachers to become invol-
untary test subjects in a giant experiment in automated instruction and administration that
is sure to be rife with unintended consequences and potentially negative effects. Allowing Al
to become inextricably enmeshed in school processes and procedures invites both short- and
long-term harms, because once it is enmeshed in those processes the only way to disentangle
from it would be to completely dismantle those systems.
To forestall the far-reaching dangers posed by hasty implementation of Al in pedagogical
and administrative systems, we recommend that school leaders pause adoption of Al ap-
plications until policymakers have had adequate time to fully educate themselves about Al
and to formulate legislation and policy ensuring effective public oversight and control of itsschool applications. Any development of Al for schools should be conducted under "respon-
sible Al" frameworks, in partnership with schools. In addition, we recommend that:
Federal and state policymakers:
Stop promoting Al as a way to transform and modernize schools' pedagogical and ad-
ministrative practices.
Prohibit schools from adopting AI-based educational applications until appropriate
regulatory structures are established.
Adopt regulations that prohibit schools from using any technology, including "blackhttp://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/ai
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Williamson, Ben; Molnar, Alex & Boninger, Faith. Time for a Pause: Without Effective Public Oversight, AI in Schools Will Do More Harm Than Good., report, March 2024; Boulder, Colorado. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2293041/m1/4/: accessed May 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.