AI will be the new reality…it is imperative that we equip the next generations with the skills they need to not only survive but also thrive
By Dr Rashmi Mantri
It has been a conventional belief for the past decade that coders, those who speak the language of technology, are the next rock stars. They command huge salaries and use their skills to create endless possibilities.
AI came along and the Cassandras in the tech industry predicted that the days of coders were numbered. New language models were easily capable of writing entire computer programs by themselves.
Is this scenario accurate? Is it more likely that creative problem-solving aspects of programming will remain a human endeavour, as AI, for at least the near future, enables smart people write more code faster?
National Coding Week is currently underway (16th September) with the theme of Artificial Intelligence as its main focus.
The event will highlight the importance of coding in today’s digital world, whether you’re developing apps, designing a website, analysing data or automating tasks. The event will highlight that coding skills are at the core of technological innovation.
It will be clear to those working in the field that coding is also a way of thinking. It’s a method of solving problems logically and rationally through systems and design, as well as a means of anticipating issues and removing technology roadblocks.
The future of humanity will be shaped by those who can speak the language of the Internet. They are more likely to provide architectural vision, direction, and expertise.
All societies must therefore focus on the best way to prepare future workers to be AI-ready, and to join the journey that we will all have to take to a future where technology is in our veins.
First, we must ensure that AI and tech – including coding and computational thinking – is a part of all school curriculums across the nation.
Our organisation has made small strides in this direction, with innovations like the launch of one the UK’s very first online teaching assistants that specializes in math homework help. Mathematics is a subject which students find difficult to get interested in.
It’s AI-powered, talking avatar is called Olivia. A young woman in a class interacts with students and answers their questions at the time they choose.
Olivia, developed in collaboration with international developers, supports and underpins Supermaths, College’s most-popular teaching app. It has attracted an unheard of number of visitors to its website.
In the UK, the value of AI for education was also recognised by the government. At the end of the month ( 28 August), a new initiative to train AI so that it is more reliable and useful for English teachers was announced.
The PS4 million project will pool documents from the government, such as curriculum guidance, lesson planning and anonymous pupil assessments. These will be used to train AI tools, so that they can generate accurate and high-quality content.
Incorporating AI into education involves more than just technology. It also requires the development of ethically-aware individuals who, in a sense, will be the arbiters for the moral and social impacts of AI technologies.
AI systems can produce results that are unjust, unfair, opaque, insecure, and raise questions about privacy, security, and employability.
It is clear that we’re entering a new technology environment with a lot of uncharted territory. It is more important than ever to give the next generations the tools and intellectual skills they need to navigate these new technologies.
Dr Rashmi mantri is the Managing Director at British Youth International College.
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