Australia’s federal education minister has indicated that the ban on public school students using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT may be reversed next year.
However, changes to assessments and grading methods are likely to be implemented to address concerns about misuse and cheating.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare announced on Sunday that state and territory ministers have agreed on a draft framework for teachers regarding the appropriate use of AI technology in schools.
While the details of the framework are yet to be publicly released, it aims to revamp assessments to prevent students from exploiting such tools and “bluffing the system,” according to Clare.
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The use of ChatGPT, an AI tool that generates text in response to prompts or queries, has raised concerns among educators due to its potential for plagiarism, cheating, and negative impacts on student learning.
Currently, the technology is banned in most public school classrooms, but some private schools have already incorporated it into their curriculum, prompting concerns about public school students falling behind.
“This is the sort of thing that students are going to need to learn how to use properly,” Clare told Sky News. “You can’t just put it away and assume that students won’t use it. But at the same time, I want to make sure that students are getting the marks they deserve, and can’t use it to cheat.”
Toby Walsh, the chief scientist at the University of New South Wales’ AI Institute, welcomed the move to reverse the ban, which he deemed a “knee-jerk reaction” that could have disadvantaged students.
Walsh highlighted the potential of the technology to transform educational standards if used appropriately, comparing it to the acceptance of calculators in classrooms.
Clare stated that the draft framework would address privacy concerns. “We’ve developed a draft framework about how this could be rolled out in schools next year and we’ll put that out in the next couple of weeks to get feedback from teachers and principals and parents and students,” Clare said.
“I also want to make sure that privacy is protected. The last thing we want is our children on ChatGPT putting things in and then in the afternoon, they get an ad on TikTok or on Snapchat based on the information they put in.”
Amber Flohm, the senior vice president of the NSW Teachers Federation, emphasized the need for evidence-backed discussions about the legal, ethical, and potential impacts of using ChatGPT in classrooms. “We need to have genuine discussions about the legal and ethical risks, challenges and potential impacts of this emerging technology,” Flohm said.
“Any costs associated with using AI in classrooms must be borne by the government, not schools, to ensure access and equity for all our students.”
Earlier this year, the NSW Department of Education announced that the ban on ChatGPT would remain in place until they determined “safely and appropriately” ways to use emerging technology in the classroom.
Megan Kelly, a senior official with the department, cited “a lack of reliable safeguards preventing these tools exposing students to potentially explicit and harmful content”.
Australian universities have also adjusted their examination and assessment methods due to fears of AI-powered essay writing, incorporating more traditional pen-and-paper exams.
Clare indicated that similar changes to assessments may be necessary in government schools once the ban on ChatGPT is lifted. “One of the things that this framework says is ‘we might need to change the way in which we examine [or] assess students so that we make sure that we’re measuring what students are learning and they can’t use this to sort of bluff the system,” Clare said.
