What Should Schools Teach Children About AI? Rethinking AI Education in India
The Indian government has mandated the introduction of AI from Grade 3 starting in the next academic year. This means that, with great urgency, schools have to start equipping teachers and getting the necessary infrastructure ready. But a bigger question prevails: what should children really be taught about AI?
AI Literacy vs Foundational AI Program
AI literacy means the ability to effectively use AI to simplify everyday tasks (read more about AI literacy here). While this is important, it poses a serious challenge in the school context. There has been a surge in AI usage among students that is largely unchecked. There is a growing concern that students are using AI to replace learning rather than to support it.
To address this, schools may need to go deeper than just AI literacy and focus on understanding how AI works by imparting foundational AI education.
“He Who Knows Nothing Doubts Nothing”
The current generation is growing up with AI already embedded in their lives. They do not know a world without AI. As a result, they may accept AI outputs as true without analysing them. To doubt AI, one needs to know about AI — not just how to use it, but also how it is built, how it uses data, and the fact that AI systems are created by humans.
Hence, an effective AI curriculum also needs to cover:
- How AI is built
- Why AI can make mistakes
- Bias and fairness in AI
- Why human judgement is important
UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework
To set an international standard for what is expected from an AI curriculum, UNESCO has released a framework outlining the competencies expected of students.
This framework categorises competencies into four verticals:
- Human-centered understanding
- Ethics of AI usage
- AI usage and applications
- Design of AI
A wholesome AI curriculum must address all these areas to deliver effective learning and impart future ready skills. This ensures growth not only at the individual level but also for society at large.
The Need For Critical Thinking
Another major aspect that should be addressed as part of the curriculum is the development of a student’s critical thinking abilities.
AI has brought the power of creation to everyone, and while it is highly enabling, it has also led to large-scale standardisation. If a group of 20 students is asked to write an essay on “My Mother,” the results are likely to be very similar if they all use AI to generate it.
In a future where much of the work will be completed by AI, a student’s ability to think critically will be crucial in helping them stand out and express their uniqueness.
It is not important to get the right answers, but to ask the right questions.
There need to be significant elements in the curriculum that enable and encourage students to question critically.
At inAI, we have built a comprehensive AI education curriculum that encompasses all these elements and is supported by an experiential platform that is safe for experimentation. This AI education for students enables them to try, understand, observe, and learn as they become responsible users of AI. Explore our offerings here.
