OLDaily

A pathway towards responsible, ethical AI could deliver a fairer system in education
British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association, JISC, 2022/01/27

This article points to a guide called "A pathway towards responsible, ethical AI" (16 page PDF) which provides the setting about asking some basic questions about the implementation of AI. the questions include considerations of whether it fits institutional objectives, whether it will work, whether it fits the institutions culture and purpose, and whether the institution and supply chain are ready. In so doing it raises questions involving fitness of purpose, ethical issues, training and trust. My main criticism is that it lumps all applications of AI under a single heading. Obviously, different considerations apply when deciding whether to use automated grading, automated captions in videoconferencing as compared to using student data to automatically recommend learning materials.

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What Could Web3 Mean for Education?
Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge, 2022/01/27

This article begins with a clever metaphor linking the blockchain with the heavy chains worn by the ghosts that haunt Ebenezer Scrooge. "And that raises questions. Among them: Are crypto-entrepreneurs imagining better systems for education—or just systems that pay off better financially for themselves?" And in the true entrepreneurial spirit, Rebecca Koenig asks, "Could both answers be true?" And, well, they could. "Folks in the crypto space are questioning whether industries can be reimagined to operate in ways that are less extractive, and more community-owned," says Jon Allen, managing partner at investment fund Mirana Ventures. But I can sense a lot of scepticism in the air.

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The Big Business of Tracking and Profiling Students
Julia Angwin, 2022/01/27

This article may feel scattered (at least it did for me). But I think the author was attempting to bring readers up to date. The main focus is an interview with San José State University education professor Roxana Marachi, who argues that "there has been a slow and steady capture of our educational systems by ed tech firms over the past two decades." Leading up to the interview author notes that Vista Equity Partners has been buying up educational software companies that have collectively amassed a trove of data about children, and that student data is used by colleges to target potential applicants (and perhaps pass over those from lower income or visible minority groups). 

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What AI cannot do
Chen Qiufan, Kai-Fu Lee, Big Think, 2022/01/27

According to the authors, "there are skills that AI cannot master: strategy, creativity, empathy-based social skills, and dexterity." The article goes on to explain why, and to describe how humans will apply these skills in order to work with AI. My perspective is that we would be very short-sighted if we assume AI will not be able to master these skills. AIs already display more dexterity than humans in some cases. They are also demonstrating interesting forms of creativity. A lot of what appear to be human-only skills are the sorts of automatic non-cognitive abilities we demonstrate. But that's precisely where AI will excel, since these are based on pattern recognition and response. An AI won't feel things the way we do. But it's not al all clear that feeling a certain way is essential for any of these skills.

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