Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 2:44:04 to 2:50:02
Discussion regarding the Education Minister's evolving stance on AI in schools, moving from endorsing its benefits to advocating for a "digital detox" and returning to pen and paper.
Topics: Education, Artificial intelligence
Speakers: Senator Jess Walsh, Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Ms. Meg Brighton, Mr. Tony Cook, Unknown Speaker
>> Thank you, Chair. Digital use. Um, recently we saw extensive reporting of a study in China, the impact of AI on learning for about 26,000 secondary students over a period of 30 months. Fascinating read. Uh the study was clear that AI use lifted homework scores but lowered the monthly exam scores by 20% within 6 months. This was reported extensively in Australian media in midepptember. The ABC ran a story on the 20th September. Is the department aware of these impacts of AI
>> Thank you. Absolutely. We aware of that research. In fact, Minister Qu has been quoting that research. as late as this morning he was quoting his research I think
>> missed his quote this morning but
>> so um and he was certainly talking about it uh in a number of forums that I was in this week as well so we have got we are aware of that research we've read that research I think we're refacing that research and some of the work that we're doing as well
>> and um Senator in New South Wales Deputy Premier Carr has already um uh made uh commitments in terms of sort of restricting um um uh assessment and AI and assessment at home um in terms of what they were seeing in New South Wales students. So um I'm sure that the discussion on Monday uh with education ministers will point to um AI and its use and when it should be purposely used and when it shouldn't be used. And I think for all educators across the country um you want to see a correlation between what an inschool assessment is looking like and a student's performance with what is happening with what they do at home. Um and I think that that's what the China data is absolutely pointing
>> Yeah. I want to come to next week's meeting. Before I do though, on the 24th of May, uh 2023, uh at the AI and education conference in Sydney, the Minister for Education said this, "AI can help us to personalize education and make it more engaging and more effective for individual students." Similarly, on the 1st of December that year, the minister put out a media release calling for the use of generative AI to quote personalize education to make learning more compelling and effective. The minister's 2023 comments endorsing the use of AI in schools are now at odds with his recent statements calling for a digital detox, saying that the more screens are used, the more results go down. Minister to you. When when did Labour and the minister change his position on AIUS by
>> Well, thanks Senator. I have to reject the premise of your question.
>> Well, the premise is
>> all of the evidence um about um the minister's um public comments uh and the work uh that he uh is doing. um reflects the fact that there are benefits and there are risks. Uh and that is um the approach of the Australian government in general to AI. Um it is why um we have a um a governmentwide focus on harnessing um the benefits of AI uh and also um approaching AI eyes wide open in terms of the risks um in terms of um digital approaches uh in the classroom. Um as the officials have said it is really important um for students to have digital skills um and part of that is uh students really um learning you know when it's useful and appropriate to use AI uh and when it's not. uh and in relation to um edte edtech um and potential sort of uses of AI uh in edtech as well um you know the minister's clear and the officials have been clear um that that needs to be um purposeful uh so um all of that um goes to um what the minister means when he's talking about um winding um you know the prevalence of um uses of screens in classrooms in particular um back a bit. um you know this sort of technology can be really useful um for learning. Um we know that students do need to learn digital skills. Um but there is also um a lot of evidence that the minister's really focused on um that actually um removing screens um and you know going back to to pen and paper um where we can um helps students learn. that helps them retain um information. Um and that's why the minister's talking about um a digital detox. Um of course the minister is not talking about um ignoring the existence of AI when it comes to um edtech or when it comes to students learning. Um what he is talking about um is appropriate use. Um and getting back to to pen and paper where we can in the classroom. Uh and this digital detox will be on the agenda um for all education ministers