Commentary: Why the International Baccalaureate is not banning but embracing AI tools like ChatGPT

Viral artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT have made headlines for their ability to produce essays and solve mathematical equations in seconds, leading to local and international concerns of plagiarism and fraud amid learning institutions. 

In a recent statement, the Ministry of Education Singapore (MOE) believes that with any technology, AI tools present both opportunities and challenges. 

Schools in Singapore have also adopted a range of practices to guard against generative AI in learning such as gauging students’ proficiency and detecting uncharacteristic responses that could be AI-generated through daily interactions with students and using multiple modes of assessment. 

However, I believe that those of us who work in the schools or exam sector should be excited about ChatGPT and the rise of AI software and should embrace it as an extraordinary opportunity. 

Contrary to some ideologies, it is not the end of exams, nor even a huge threat to coursework, but it does bring into very sharp focus the impact that artificial intelligence software that can write sophisticated responses could have on the way we think about teaching, learning and assessment. 

We should not think of this extraordinary new technology as a threat. 

Like spell-checkers, translation software and calculators, we must accept that it is going to become part of our everyday lives, and so we must adapt and transform education so students can use these new AI tools ethically and effectively. 

WHY IB IS NOT BANNING AI TOOLS LIKE CHATGPT 

In truth, many of the issues thrown up by ChatGPT or other similar AI software are extensions or variations of current issues that the International Baccalaureate (IB) is familiar with managing, even if these technologies are significantly different in terms of speed, ease of access and scale. 

For example, the risk of students getting someone else to write their work for them is familiar. 

For many years teachers and the IB have been dealing with essays bought from the internet (from so-called “essay mills”), completed by external tutors or even by family members. 

We counter this in many ways; including the fact that all IB coursework requires regular check-in meetings between students and teachers, where there is an opportunity for teachers to ask the student about their ideas and to expand on their arguments to ensure that the student work is a true reflection of what they understand.  

However, we are also enormously excited by the prospect of exploring the enormous educational opportunities that this software has created.  

If AI — in the form of ChatGPT and its inevitably more powerful descendants — is indeed to be routinely used in everyday life around the world, then it will raise a series of fascinating questions about what essential skills and knowledge students will need that we cannot afford to ignore. 

These include: 

• Evaluation of the AI-produced essays and the ability to refine the questions being asked. A common theme in comments about ChatGPT now is the need to explore asking the right question for the answer you want.
• Identifying and addressing bias. All AI-produced work is based on the information it has “learnt” from, particularly in today’s internet, which is heavily biased by human authors. Students need to understand that AI will inherit the bias and blind spots of its programmers or source material in the case of self-learning systems.
• Thinking around the problem and being creative rather than seeking simple answers or following a routine process. The AI tools will do the latter quicker and more effectively, while the former is where humans can excel.
• With AI, we will spend less time teaching the mechanics of essay writing or communications; and more time cultivating mindsets on how to understand, describe and analyse problems.

IB’S FOCUS GOING FORWARD 

With IB’s aim at fostering a holistic education and better-preparing students for the workplace, the focus falls on rewarding students for ideas, explanations, and creativity.

This is important because students will need to engage in new subject matter throughout their life, so the transferable skills of making links between concepts, evaluation and developing ideas will be used repeatedly in the future.  

Utilising AI like ChatGPT, students get a chance to expand on the suggestions that the software proposes to deliver their ideas more fluently.

IB is constantly exploring ways to develop curriculums and assessments that embrace new technologies to prepare our students for the future, such as providing a variety of extracurricular activities that prepare our students for what is beyond the classroom doors.

Our Career-related Programme, for example, offers students the opportunity to explore their career interests and develop the skills necessary to succeed in the business world.

Additionally, the IB fosters a caring attitude by connecting students with their local communities, giving them a sense of personal and social responsibility.

Through such programmes, students can gain a deeper understanding of the business world and gain the skills and knowledge necessary to become successful entrepreneurs. 

As educators, we need to understand that education and schooling are not in isolation and it goes beyond our school doors.

It is our duty to create new learning settings that enable the holistic development of students and re-engage educators in a learning model that allows them to bring their experience to the classroom every day.

By incorporating different ways of learning and assessment into school lesson plans, we can help our students foster a spirit of creativity, innovation, and risk-taking, where young people express their willingness to collaborate and constantly learn from the problem to find solutions together.

The introduction of AI is yet another opportunity to encourage students to develop their skillsets, creativity, and innovation. This is something we should celebrate rather than fear. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Matthew Glanville is head of assessment principles and practice at the International Baccalaureate.