Like most organisations, the senior staff at Illawarra Grammar have been spending some professional development time discussing the impact of artificial intelligence on the teaching, learning and administration of our School.

Determining when it is acceptable, and even desirable, to use AI has been the focus of our discussions. A recent article from the CEO of the Association of Heads of Independence Schools of Australia (AHISA), Dr Chris Duncan, in a recent Bulletin (No. 13, 11/7/24) succinctly sums up our decisions; extracts of his article are included below.

“We are deluged by upbeat stories about AI and its power to upend the way we do everything and generally make life a piece of cheesecake and a walk in the park.

So with all the bullishness about the future of AI, I asked Chat GPT what was beneficial about artificial intelligence? In an instant I was presented with a list which included detailed elaborations of the following headings: automation, data analysis, personalisation, predictive analysis, improved healthcare, enhanced customer service, advances in research and reductions in costs.

Then I probed Chat GPT about what were the downsides of artificial intelligence. A refreshingly sober list emerged: job displacement, bias and unfairness, privacy concerns, security risks, ethical issues, social impact, dependency and reliability, and economic shifts.

Next question for the Chat: what distinguishes human thinking from artificial intelligence? Even more refreshing, almost ingenuously, AI differs from human thinking in several, fundamental ways. While appearing creative, AI lacks depth in creativity and originality, lacks understanding and nuance of complex emotional and social contexts, doesn’t get humour, can’t understand anything beyond what’s programmed, doesn’t experience anything, or have awareness or empathy for others, and doesn’t have intentions or consciousness. Chat GPT stressed that the ‘unique capabilities and complexities of human cognition set it apart from artificial intelligence’.

This looks like an own goal, or at least a lack of self-regard.

It’s clear that AI mimics human intelligence to a staggering degree, but in many contexts is no substitute for the complexity and subtlety of human cognition. But there are many domains in which AI exceeds human ability, especially in automation, data analytics, predictive coding and the extraordinary promise it holds for the reduction if not elimination of many chronic diseases.

But let’s make sure the detrimental effects of job displacement, bias, unfairness, privacy, security, ethical issues and social impact are kept well in check. That will require human intelligence applied beneficially.”

At The Illawarra Grammar School, we believe that, for better or worse, learning requires effort and practice, easier for some than others. No amount of outsourcing the effort and practice to AI will build a learner’s skill and confidence to approach the next effortful learning task. So, at Illawarra Grammar we will be applying AI to situations that bring benefit without compromising the learning, spirit or values of our students.