Generative AI can be a tremendous opportunity for human development, but it can also cause harm and prejudice. It cannot be integrated into education without public engagement, and the necessary safeguards and regulations from governments. This UNESCO Guidance will help policymakers and teachers best navigate the potential of AI for the primary interest of learners.
AI must not usurp human intelligence. Rather, it invites us to reconsider our established understandings of knowledge and human learning. It is my hope that this guidance will help us redefine new horizons for education and to inform our collective thinking and collaborative actions that can lead to human-centred digital learningfutures for all.
Publicly available generative AI (GenAI) tools are rapidly emerging, and the release of iterative versions is outpacing the adaptation of national regulatory frameworks. The absence of national regulations on GenAI in most countries leaves the data privacy of users unprotected and educational institutions largely unprepared to validate the tools.
UNESCO’s first global guidance on GenAI in education aims to support countries to implement immediate actions, plan long-term policies and develop human capacity to ensure a human-centred vision of these new technologies.
The guidance presents an assessment of potential risks GenAI could pose to core humanistic values that promote human agency, inclusion, equity, gender equality, linguistic and cultural diversities, as well as plural opinions and expressions.
It proposes key steps for governmental agencies to regulate the use of GenAI including mandating the protection of data privacy and considering an age limit for their use. It outlines requirements for GenAI providers to enable their ethical and effective use in education.
The guidance stresses the need for educational institutions to validate GenAI systems on their ethical and pedagogical appropriateness for education. It calls on the international community to reflect on their long-term implications for knowledge, teaching, learning and assessment.
The publication offers concrete recommendations for policy-makers and education institutions on how the
uses of GenAI tools can be designed to protect human agency and genuinely benefit students, teachers
and researchers.
(Sourced from UNESCO)