RALEIGH, N.C. — School systems are trying to figure out how to incorporate and adjust to artificial intelligence.
The state Department of Public Instruction this week shared a guidebook on generative AI, which has made big strides in the past few years. Generative AI refers to models that can create original content, including images, text and audio, using the data the AI system was trained with.
The new policies are aimed at helping schools embrace technology in a safe and ethical way. North Carolina is only the fourth state to provide a framework for teachers.
Vanessa Wrenn, the chief information officer for the Department of Public Instruction, has been working in education for 27 years.
“I have always been a tech geek,” Wrenn said. “I was like the first teacher with all the tech tools.”
But she never would have guessed that technology would be where it is now. Wrenn says new technology like AI can be intimidating.
“We don't want to block this technology, but we want to learn how to understand it better so we can use it,” she said.
The department decided to put a framework in place for how schools can implement AI smoothly and ethically.
“AI in education has been around a long time,” Wrenn said. “This conversation was prevalent in the eighties with calculators… We had schools that wanted to ban calculators because students might cheat. So the teaching there is around academic honesty and integrity and using it when it's appropriate.”
The guidebook encourages teachers to have discussions about AI in the classroom, letting students use it as an educational tool sometimes, but not for every assignment. AI can also help teachers automate certain parts of their jobs, giving them more time to focus on students.
“For me it’s enthusiasm to stay in the teaching career, right?” Wrenn said. “When teachers have tools that keep them excited about the content that they're teaching… it gives them something to stay excited and enthusiastic about.”
Wrenn says AI can also act as a tutor or translator for kids. Ultimately, she says it’s better to embrace technology and add guardrails than to leave a useful tool behind.
“It's certainly going to transform the education world from here and forever out,” she said.
While acknowledging that generative AI has its pitfalls, the state's guide highlights the positive effect it can have on education when used responsibly.
The technology can make learning more accessible through translation tools for students who speak multiple languages, text-to-voice and voice-to-text options for students with visual or hearing impairments and customizable lesson plans.
Wrenn says schools and teachers can start implementing AI to classrooms as soon as they are ready. The department plans to revisit and expand these guidelines in the near future.