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This is not to say that AI should be completely avoided in schools. We cannot ignore that children are likely already using AI tools through family accounts and shared devices, even though platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini have age restrictions. Parents and some schools are also already using AI-powered platforms such as KooBits.<\/span><\/p>\n I have heard of kids taking screenshots of homework to ask AI for help, brainstorming with and even chatting with AI. So it is a great initiative that schools will be teaching AI safety so that children are aware of hallucination risks and data protection concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n The Ministry of Education has also clarified that students will not be given general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, but MOE-developed tools with built-in guardrails, which is reassuring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n However, AI-accelerated learning cannot be at the expense of the very skills that enable humans to survive, thrive and find meaning \u2013 communication, frustration tolerance, confidence and self-determination.<\/span><\/p>\n