The Leon County School Board plans to put more emphasis on artificial intelligence. The group agreed the issue should go “to the top of their to-do list” after hearing from a panel of experts on the issue Monday.
Terri Ard of the Moore Agency led the panel. She says AI is a game-changer for students who need customized learning plans to accelerate their progress. And it’s something students should be prepared to use in their future careers.
“Artificial intelligence is the future of our workforce, and really, that future is here now," Ard said. "So, how can we ensure that our K-12 students and teachers are set up for the best success?”
In fact, Ard says she expects AI to have as powerful an effect as the world wide web. Here’s Superintendent Rocky Hanna’s reaction:
“And that’s when my stomach started hurting, to be honest with you. But she’s right," he said. "We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend like it’s not going to happen, but it is. Now we just have to figure out a way from a K-12 system to embrace it and use it to our advantage.”
Hanna says the school district will research best practices at other districts -- very quickly. And will be sure to consider putting needed safeguards in place.
He also says he has mixed feelings on the issue.
“It is exciting, but it’s also somewhat daunting as well," he said. "But I think us sending people to find out what best practices are for other school districts throughout the state, throughout the country, will help. The more we learn…but this has to be done very quickly.”
Officials say AI can be used in the school setting for everything from helping students who are struggling with a specific math skill to helping teachers detect whether a student’s paper was written by AI.
