UNESCO has officially released its first guidelines on the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education, it calls on government agencies to regulate the technology, emphasizing data privacy and setting age limits for users.
The advent of generative AI, exemplified by technologies like ChatGPT developed by OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, has witnessed unprecedented growth, this development has sparked competition from rivals such as Google’s Bard.
Students have also shown keen interest in this technology, which can generate anything from essays to mathematical calculations with just a few lines of instruction.
According to Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, “We are grappling with aligning the speed of the transformation of the education system with the pace of technological advancement and the progression in these AI learning models.”
The report, spanning 64 pages, outlines a series of guidelines, UNESCO highlights the need for government-endorsed AI curricula in mainstream school education and vocational training.
UNESCO emphasizes that providers of generative AI must take responsibility to ensure adherence to core values and legal purposes, respecting intellectual property and promoting ethical practices, this includes preventing the dissemination of misleading information and hate speech.
The agency also calls for limitations on the technology to prevent learners from missing out on the development of cognitive skills and social skills through real-world observations and experimental practices such as experiments, discussions with other humans, and independent logical thinking.
China has already formulated regulations on generative AI, and it is likely that the European Union will pass its AI Act later this year, many other countries are lagging behind in formulating their own AI laws.
The Paris-based agency also seeks to protect the rights of teachers and researchers and the value of their practices when using emerging technology in education.
