Japan publishes guidelines allowing limited use of AI in schools

The Monbusho wouldn't know ChatGPT if it danced on their heads.

They think tablets are for ailments.

Education here is mainly to train mindless drones for repetitive manual labor.

You'd think that they'd embrace it.

I

may negatively impact students' critical thinking

I very much doubt it. I think such AI dovetails perfectly with education in Japan. Whether it is what is needed for human beings to reach their full potential is a different question which MEXT will never address anyway.

The guidelines make absolutely no effort in saying how undue use of the technology in schools could be detected, stopped or punished, which is only appropiate since the people making them have no idea how to do that. If anything the guidelines will only encourage improper use.

Wow, that was quick. It seems to me that it was only a week or maybe 2, at the most, ago, that they were talking about creating guidlines, and now this?

Why am I scared?

interesting….., so NOW they worried about critical thinking and creativity

I don't think AI is compatible with XP anyway.

Wow, that was quick. It seems to me that it was only a week or maybe 2, at the most, ago, that they were talking about creating guidlines, and now this?

Why am I scared?

I see what you did there.

I've just had to give two fail grades for two essays that I suspected were AI generated. Two AT checking tools were 98% confident the texts were AT generated.

So it seems the education ministry needs to release guidelines for universities, not just schools.

To be fair, while your comment made me chuckle, the schools I work in are far more advanced. Some are even using Windoze 7.

ClippetyClopToday  06:56 pm JST

I don't think AI is compatible with XP anyway.

See above. Forgot to copy….still using XP here!

I'm still wondering what would a good use of AI in the school/uni be. Are there any creative, educative applications for ChatGPT at all? That's what the ministry should be debating, to decide what is not allowed is just so easy.

I've just had to give two fail grades for two essays that I suspected were AI generated. Two AT checking tools were 98% confident the texts were AT generated

Lots on how those tools are useless. Impossible to tell if AI generated. Look up case of professor who is being sued for failing entire class in the US. He did the same thing as you oh and someone on Reddit asked those tools to check the professor's work and you know what? Came up as being generated by AI. Same with the Bible, and other stuff that been around since way before AI. Be careful there if I were you.

The key point is how the use of AI will affect the ability to think

ChatGPT and other 'AI' (undetected/unchecked) will improve the quality of essays, raise marks and give the appearance of raising standards in schools, without costing a Yen. And that is why quite a lot of governments and teachers will welcome it.

And Tora is right. Accusing someone of using AI may end in court. Schools will not want that. Instead they will advise teachers to turn a blind eye to it.

It amazes me how unreflective or without any sense of caution the Japanese government is embracing AI. Maybe they see it as a way out of the coming disaster that the massive aging population is going to have on the country economically. On the other hand, the educational system stresses only rote memorization for passing multiple-choice entrance exams (which can be aced by AI). Students need to be taught critical thinking skills, etc., but I doubt any of the fossils in MEXT have any notion about this (or education, in general).

It amazes me how unreflective or without any sense of caution the Japanese government is embracing AI. Maybe they see it as a way out of the coming disaster that the massive aging population is going to have on the country economically.

That, and that this is the way forward whether one likes it or not. Or, might as well go back to your stone tablet and chisel. More and more companies are now recruiting for staff who are able to create AI prompts as part of the job. Not saying it's good or bad, but it's just the way it is.