Colombia. Colombia may be well prepared to include AI in the education sector. To date, the country ranks first in Latin America in terms of AI governance, and ranks 45th in Oxford's 2021 AI Readiness Indez world ranking, a study that assesses how prepared governments are to implement AI in their public services.
The success of this technology is a commitment of the institutions, who are aware that the tool could be of great help depending on their use and approach. This was pointed out by Sindey Carolina Bernal, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, at the "Artificial Intelligence and Education" Congress, held by the Alberto Merani Higher Education Foundation at the end of last year.
The deputy minister said that the implementation of AI must be done with a pedagogical perspective so that the impact is positive on students, in addition to optimizing the work of the teacher to the maximum in terms of feedback, data collection and administrative tasks. And it is not far from the vision of experts in the field.
The Many Benefits of AI in Education
According to experts from EPAM, a global software and AI development company, the use of Artificial Intelligence in education will provide adaptable and personalized learning products, to new tools driven by automation.
This is where edtech companies, learning content providers, and educational institutions can take advantage of this opportunity to have technical tools and develop new approaches to learning.
For the company, the challenges that need to be addressed in educational technology (EdTech) are: the accuracy of the responses generated, the hallucinations of large language models (LLMs) in the results, the ambiguity around the legality of the wording and authorship, the lack of explanation in automated systems, and the possible amplification of existing bias.
Some ways GenAI could improve the edtech industry include:
Learning content providers: New technologies such as LLMs and educational trends have pushed content creators to drastically change their approach to how content is produced and communicated to students. GenAI can become a force multiplier for learning content providers by accelerating the development of engaging and enhanced learning materials that focus on personalization and continuous improvement.
While one of the main concerns is the accuracy of the answers generated, by training GenAI models with high-quality textbooks and other materials, learning content providers can improve the quality, veracity, and reliability of the answers.
Students: Banning GenAI tools, due to concerns about academic honesty, is not a sustainable solution because it is difficult to eliminate the benefits it offers students.
For EPAM, GenAI-enabled tools open the door to scalable, iterative, discovery-driven learning with the infinite patience offered by a conversational AI agent. Instead of the tool telling the student that their answer is wrong, it guides them to rethink and reevaluate why their first answer was wrong and what the correct answer is.
Likewise, when used responsibly, GenAI can simulate peer discussions and personalized tutorials, and provide general help to students.
Teachers: When GenAI is used responsibly, teachers have a great source of ideas at their fingertips to enrich the class curriculum and the design of individual sessions; In addition, when used effectively, these tools can free up the teacher's time to interact with students.
Some examples of how teachers can leverage GenAI are: creating supplementary materials, improving assessments, analyzing student performance, and optimizing daily activities.
Everyone is responsible for the good use of AI
While different countries must legislate on the responsible use of AI, companies must develop their own responsible AI principles to ensure compliance. At the same time, awareness and culture must be created throughout the organization and AI-powered EdTech initiatives must be prepared for the future, so that they are safe, reliable, and beneficial for teachers and students in the long run, this will allow both groups to thrive in a rapidly changing digital world.
