Education, Policy Experts Discuss Implications of AI in Schools at HGSE Event

Three experts discussed the importance of generative artificial intelligence as a tool to supplement — but not replace teachers — at a Harvard Graduate School of Education event Thursday evening.

The forum, moderated by HGSE Academic Dean Martin West, featured panelists Google for Education official Marta McAlister, U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Roberto J. Rodriguez, and HGSE Assistant Professor of Education Ying Xu.

West opened by highlighting the rise in student use of generative AI in their coursework.

“As of May 2024, 82 percent of U.S. undergraduates and 72 percent of K-12 students reported having used AI in their schoolwork,” West said.

The event, he said, served as an “opportunity to hear the perspectives of individuals who are not only observers, but active participants in that part process of shaping AI’s impact in their roles as policymakers, as tool developers, and as researchers.”

During the panel, Rodriguez spoke about the Ed Department’s report on recommendations for the use of AI in education. He emphasized AI’s potential to be used as a tool in the classroom — rather than a replacement for teachers.

“We’re equipping our educators with the capacity that they need to make important judgments, to lead pedagogically,” he said. “We want to align AI models to a shared vision of education.”

McAlister specified that AI offers the potential to reduce teachers’ administrative time load, reducing the risk that teachers — who are working an average of 53 hours per week — end up feeling burnt out.

“A lot of people piloting solutions that we’ve been working with have saved up to 13 hours a week,” McAlister said.

Still, she acknowledged the concerns with using generative AI in the classroom: privacy, cheating, information accuracy, bias, and the decline in critical thinking.

“I want to make super clear that I don’t believe that an AI can replace the value and soul of a classroom, which, to me, is really the educator and the peers that learn from each other,” McAlistar said.

Xu, who researches how generative AI dialogue can support learning, talked about her collaboration with PBS Kids. With the help of generative AI, she said, television shows for children can become interactive.

“One consistent finding is that engaging in dialogue with a media character leads kids to better comprehend science concepts and be more motivated to think about the science problems,” Xu said.

West closed the segment by asking the panel about their vision for how AI will shape the future of education.

Rodriguez said that AI was a “powerful tool” and is important for “meeting every learner where they are and helping them grow.”

“I’m really excited about how we might see this partnership between the teachers and students, and having them learn together and evolve as a result of this tech,” McAlister said.

—Staff writer Kelly A. Olmos can be reached at kelly.olmos@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Kenith W. Taukolo can be reached at kenith.taukolo@thecrimson.com.