Principals warn ‘confused’ schools need more help to cope with rapid advances in AI | Science and technology news

School leaders are “confused” by advances in AI and don’t trust the companies behind the technology to ensure proper regulation, school leaders have warned.

UK education leaders said they like systems ChatGPT by OpenAI And Google’s bard were evolving “far too quickly” and the classroom customization guides weren’t keeping up.

Government alone is unable to give schools the advice they need and ministers have previously acknowledged any attempts to draft AI-related legislation would quickly become obsolete given the speed of change.

Rishi Sunak said that while “guard rails” are needed to minimize the risks of AI to society, The government wants to maximize the benefits of its quest to make the UK a ‘science and technology superpower’..

In a letter to The Times newspaper with more than 60 signatures, education officials said ministers had not proved “able or willing” to provide the “guidance and advice” they needed.

They wrote: “We have no confidence that the big digital corporations will be able to self-regulate in the interests of students, employees and schools.”

“Even in the past, the government has not shown itself able or willing to do so.”

They added: “The truth is that AI is evolving far too quickly for government or parliament alone to provide the real-time advice schools need.”

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The principals behind the letter, led by Epsom College’s Sir Anthony Seldon, said they plan to set up their own “intersectoral body” of teachers from their schools, led by digital and AI experts, to offer advice on possible AI developments to give useful or harmful.

They would advocate for systems like ChatGPT to work in the interest of students, not the interests of tech companies.

Some workplaces, schools and universities in other countries have already banned generative AI like ChatGPT.

While they have impressed with their ability to pass exams, fix computer errors, and write speeches, they have also shown an ability to generate incorrect or offensive responses.

Elon Musk joined a group of AI experts in the request for a break in the training of large language modelswhile Google CEO Sundar Pichai, admitted the potential dangers ‘keep me up at night’.

The Times letter comes after AI pioneer Professor Stuart Russell warned that “the stakes couldn’t be higher” as governments wrestle with how best to approach regulation.

He said, “How do you retain power over entities more powerful than yourself – forever?”

“If you don’t have an answer, stop researching. As simple as that.”

Earlier this month, British computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “Godfather of AI,” quit his job at Google with a warning of the threat posed to humanity by technology.

Read more: Who is the “Godfather of AI”?