Blog: Back To School With Artificial Intelligence

The emergence of Generative AI, defined by its ability to generate novel, human-like output, will mean that a large majority of students currently in school will experience a work and life environment very different from what they are used to.

This paradigm shift is likely to cause huge realignments in society. According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs, upto 300 million jobs across the world are exposed to automation.

This has far-reaching implications for India. It is incumbent upon policymakers and regulators in India to rapidly come up with a framework that will allow our future generations to be competitive. 

To navigate this challenge successfully, we need to approach the challenge at multiple levels.

First, we need to design a curriculum in which AI and Data Science are taught in an age-appropriate manner. Second, we need to rapidly upskill teachers and coaches to impart these skills to students. Third, we need to enable much closer interaction between the industry and private sector, schools, and regulators to update the curriculum frequently.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), one of the largest education boards in the country, is already taking steps for this. The CBSE collaborates with various industries, organisations, and institutions to develop and update the curriculum for skill-based subjects. These collaborations ensure that the curriculum is aligned with industry requirements and reflects the latest trends and advancements in skill-based domains.

Schools will play a crucial role in bridging the gap between the current education system and the future needs of industry. Teachers must upskill themselves through the CBSE's training programmes, specifically focused on using these new skills. This way, skill education will contribute to the overall economic growth and development of a nation by creating a highly skilled and competitive workforce.

Many private schools in India have already engaged AI implementation champions and coaches. According to Soumya Iyer - AI Implementation Head at the Sanskriti Group of Schools, Pune, "Artificial Intelligence and other such disruptive technologies will inevitably bring large changes to how people will work and what professions will still be relevant. As educators, our responsibility is to give our children a toolkit to thrive in the future".

Introducing students to AI is necessary but it is not sufficient, as there is a huge element of unpredictability about the extent and timing of the changes that AI shall bring.

In order to come up with the right solutions, the problems and challenges we are trying to solve must be framed correctly. Regulators and schools need to ask what capabilities are likely to overcome the obsolescence that disruptive technologies shall bring.

The role of a good education is to allow children how to learn, not what to learn. The consensus of most global experts is that there are some skills that will always be relevant; they are creative and original thinking, good communication and decision-making skills. To help equip our children with these skills, we must go back to the first principles of thinking. 

Decision-making skills are the most important to focus on. This is done best when parents and teachers work as partners to encourage children to understand the connection between effort and reward. Giving children opportunities to make decisions from an early stage is vital.

To prepare our next generation for the future, it is important for policymakers, schools and parents to work in tandem and create a roadmap that frames our societal goals correctly. Even though this paradigm shift heralding the age of AI might seem daunting, humanity has overcome and creatively solved several existential challenges in the past. It is adapting against these challenges that make us human. Einstein said this most simply when he observed, "Human Spirit must prevail over technology".

(The author is an alumnus of the London School of Economics & ISB Hyderabad and is an education entrepreneur in the K-12 sector.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.