Why Teach AI to Kids in 2021
By Yang Cheng
The year 2020 was historical by any measure. While some of us thought a Fourth Industrial Revolution brought forth by AI was going to become the most dire threat to humanity, we were faced with an infectious bug that caused immense hardship and millions of lives lost.
In face of this challenge, perhaps more than ever, we were reminded that humans could use the help from augmented AI to speed things up. Machine learning engineers jumped into the fray, devising tools for diagnosis and treatment for COVID. Health-care providers and governments around the world accelerated the development of AI tools and their use in hospitals. Others used machine learning to forecast infections and recovery timelines. In places where humans risk being infected like hospitals and meat processing facilities, now we have more reason that automation may help us.
As we start 2021 under this global setting, educators need to again consider the importance of teaching AI in K-12. In the future, AI will be one of the most important tools in our toolbox when faced with another crisis like COVID. We want young people to be empowered to use AI to help build society for the better. Additionally, with more tools comes more responsibility, we also need to make sure AI systems are treating everyone equally. This involves not just programmers but people in government and the everyday user — which is all of us. It is clear that AI is relevant to everyone, regardless of their interest in coding.
Here are three reasons why you should start incorporating AI into your teaching in 2021:
- Understand the impact of AI on self and society
As our digital lives are increasingly powered by AI like recommendation engines and facial recognition, students should consider these tools critically. Students should be encouraged to investigate these systems and ask questions such as how their data is being used and if such systems are designed with fairness in mind. When a simple search for a flight involves many algorithms from multiple corporations, it helps to be informed about how they work and if they serve or don’t serve us.
2. Promote AI fairness and level the playing field
Bias can creep into machine learning algorithms in many ways, and despite our scientists’ recent efforts, it remains a hard problem to fix. And since AI is being deployed so rapidly, these biased algorithms can be serious consequences for people. One argument for fixing this issue is equity in AI education for young students. If we have more AI designers and engineers covering a wide range of perspectives from race to socioeconomic background to able-bodiedness, they can weigh in on early decisions in the development of algorithms to reflect their experiences. At the same time, equity in AI education can level the playing field and broaden opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds in tech.
3. Career advancement
AI is transforming the needs of the workforce. AI literacy will be an essential skill for most careers that students choose. When students enter the workforce, many of them (not just the factory workers!) will be working alongside AI. Marketers will be better positioned if they understood Google’s ranking algorithms, for example.
These are just among the many reasons you should consider incorporating a little AI into your teaching, whether in computer science or humanities. We hope this article helps you to craft your own “why” for AI education in your school and for your students.
Learn about ReadyAI: readyai.org
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