Educate in Artificial Intelligence

The entire educational system is attentive to the changes to be introduced to adapt to the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on research, teaching and institutional management itself.

Active participation of regulators is called for to limit the dangers that AI can present – ​​in case of misuse and abuse – to people, especially the most vulnerable.

Among them, minors stand out, but no one is exempt from suffering the negative consequences that may arise in certain circumstances.

The Beijing Consensus, which UNESCO promulgated in 2019, outlines the guidelines that should be followed to prepare educational policy makers for AI, although we do not yet have an analysis of how these recommendations have been implemented.

On the other hand, educational institutions are well aware of cultural resistance to change.

The fear of the uncertain, of error, can be paralyzing or at least slow down the acceleration of technological and educational innovation.

In the face of artificial intelligence, it is not worth focusing the debate on whether machines will annihilate the teaching function - something that seems unlikely - but rather on how they will transform it.

The way of teaching has to be completely rethought and with it, the role that educators have to guide in the good use of a technology that, inevitably, is already present in all areas of society.

Raising awareness and accompanying teaching and research staff (PDI) in this digital transition, as well as administration and services staff (PAS), is an essential condition for the success of AI in the educational system.

The Government of Spain approved last May in the Council of Ministers to allocate just over 1,300 million to the costs of this teacher preparation, coming from the European funds for recovery, transformation and resilience.

But channeling this important investment and materializing it into results requires not only resources, but also time.

A time that can be unnecessarily extended if we do not work collaboratively, with constructive will and the coordinated participation of all the parties involved.

Despite these difficulties, the benefits can be much greater in optimizing research and making academic management more efficient.

Some may have greater doubts about the advantages that AI can have in teaching practice, where the dizzying speed of change is unaffordable for rigid educational systems.

A sample: according to

, technology evolves at a faster rate than it is possible to evaluate, where educational technology products change, on average, every 36 months.

However, the fact that the balance of pros and cons of AI is on the positive side goes beyond training in its technical knowledge, which is undoubtedly necessary.

It means, above all, educating how to use its full potential in an ethical and responsible manner.

This commitment to use – and not abuse – must be transferred to the entire AI chain: from the programmer, who must make sure to minimize the biases that the technology itself can perpetuate – and even expand – to the companies that They promote and apply it, where it is necessary to establish normative and moral limits that do not violate human rights for the sake of economic benefit.

Nor should we ignore individual responsibility in our use of artificial intelligence.

That responsibility begins with striving to learn how to handle this technology.

The temptation to succumb to the convenience that AI represents in our lives, in exchange for data, may be legitimate, but it must be done with knowledge of the facts - surfacing or, better, avoiding, any dark and malicious patterns - and protecting the most vulnerable. vulnerable.

Only if regulators, legislators, academic institutions, educators, students, professionals and citizens put the person at the center and train and educate ourselves in their responsible use, can artificial intelligence be experienced in all its splendor.

Anna Bajo Sanjuán

is global head of social impact for Santander Universities at Banco Santander.