Commentary: Kids need to learn about AI – but will it sabotage the way they learn?

But as a parent, I wonder if broader AI-assisted learning in school will have spillover effects in homes where AI is not used. Once children experience how quickly AI can generate ideas, scaffold arguments and provide emotional reassurance, will home use become more prevalent? Parents, already struggling to manage the impact of social media and screen time, would then need the bandwidth and capacity to guide safe AI use.

A more open discussion on the implementation of AI in classrooms, the monitoring of student usage and data privacy concerns would help parents better navigate these uncharted waters. 

Parents are naturally feeling anxious that AI will redesign the workforce and replace jobs. In this AI arms race, some feel that teaching AI will give children a head start in this new world.

However, AI-accelerated learning cannot be at the expense of the very skills that enable humans to survive, thrive and find meaning – communication, frustration tolerance, confidence and self-determination.

Education, including any AI initiatives, should be designed to protect and boost these critical life skills, not bypass them.

Annie Tan is a freelance writer based in Singapore.