Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) scholars Clare Morell and Chloe Lawrence have submitted a public comment in response to the Department of Education’s proposed priority for advancing artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The proposal aims to prioritize federal grants for projects that promote integrating AI into educational settings, which includes providing training for educators and increasing students’ AI literacy.
Morell and Lawrence expressed their support for certain aspects of the proposal, particularly those encouraging computer science education related to AI tools for high school and post-secondary students. They also supported initiatives aimed at helping teachers learn how to optimize their work with AI.
However, the EPPC scholars advised caution regarding broader efforts to promote AI literacy or integrate AI more generally into classroom learning. They specifically warned against using AI in subjects like the humanities, referencing research indicating that critical thinking, problem solving, and memory skills may be undermined when these disciplines rely on AI tools.
In their comment, Morell and Lawrence stated: “Our overall concern is that integrating AI into general classroom instruction and personalizing it for individual student learning will only accelerate the negative trends caused by the EdTech revolution: lower scores, cognitive problems, access to harmful content, and more. The nascent research on the impacts of AI chatbots and LLMs suggests that AI poses new threats to children’s learning as well. If it is not limited to the appropriate classroom settings and age groups, it is poised to undermine the development of children’s literacy, problem solving skills, critical thinking, writing, and creativity.”
The EPPC submission highlights ongoing debate about how best to incorporate emerging technologies like artificial intelligence within K-12 and higher education environments.