Traditionally, in an agricultural sense, artificial intelligence (AI) would only be known as artificial insemination. However, another AI has also been around and is now gaining traction in both ag and education: artificial intelligence.
There are still big questions around the implications of AI and software like ChatGPT but it’s important we educate ourselves on how to use them and what they do as they are taking the world by storm.
There are many ways advanced technology can help transform and revolutionise different systems and methods, not only in our education system but also in all systems across our agri-food sector.
What role does it play in education?
AI can help people by facilitating access to information, education and training. It is similar to any other learning tools used in education like Google as it allows students to access knowledge from various sources effortlessly. With AI-powered systems, educational platforms can efficiently categorize and present information, enabling students to find relevant resources quickly and enhancing their learning experiences.
It can also be hugely beneficial in timekeeping for teachers and academics by helping them with their day-to-day tasks. It is important to note it isn’t always correct as it bases its results on data in the system.
Ethical considerations
As teachers, educators, students and even farmers become more aware of AI and its different applications, it raises concerns regarding privacy, data security, and algorithmic bias. It is important that we address these things to ensure AI technologies in education are used responsibly.
While AI and ChatGPT offer exciting possibilities for education, it is important to remember that teachers across Ireland play a crucial role that AI tools cannot replace. I remember fondly the impacts my teachers had on me throughout my education pathways and growing up. When you think about it, children and teenagers spend more time in school than at home, making their interactions with their teachers extremely important.
AI will never replace in-person learning in Ireland, there are simply things you cannot learn from a screen (in my opinion) but it is important to be aware of new technologies and how they can facilitate learning.
I would encourage teachers and students to give it a go, and get familiar with the different systems and ChatGPT applications. It is a tool that can aid and assist education but shouldn’t replace it.
Experts opinion
Professor of Economics and Head of Department at the University of Limerick, Ireland, Stephen Kinsella explains artificial intelligence as a prediction. “Something like ChatGPT, it’s a generative predictive transformer.
“All it does is it takes a sentence - like ‘Stephen drank the…’ and tries to predict the last word would be coffee,” he explains.
Also emphasising the predictive aspect that is involved in Ireland’s agricultural industry (regarding the need to predict crop yields), Stephen says, “Agriculture is deeply statistical, and it always has been. I mean, thousands of years ago in Egypt, they were talking about the relative crop yields based on floods. And they were using prediction.”
It’s useful as a way of generating more hypotheses and angles. An example Stephan uses for explaining a good application of Chat GPT is: if you are interviewing for a job, ask the programme what type of answers you can develop which will show off the fact that you are very ambitious.
There are however restrictions to these artificial intelligence tools surrounding truth. “It makes no claim to the truth because it is not hunting for the truth - it is predicting forward," Stephen emphasises.
"There is no truth, and there is no right or wrong. That is a big problem when people start relying on it as if it is the truth.”
Donncha O Treasaigh, director of schools with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (ETB), says that while we have been aware of AI for some time, the emergence of apps like ChatGPT has surprised people in terms of its capabilities and opportunities. However, we need to remember the potential risks involved in its use.
“We have to educate people; we have to be aware of what its potential could be. We also have to be aware of the fact that there are many opportunities where ChatGPT could be used to the benefit of organisations and education in particular. It’s only when we have discussions and debates around its potential and how it can be used for each of the sectors that we work in that we can see what the true potential might be for the greater good,” Donncha explains.
In terms of education Donncha sees these tools as providing a wonderful opportunity for far more discussion, collaboration and teamwork among teachers and students around particular learning outcomes. “It allows for more facilitation by the teacher as opposed to just chalk and talk,” he says.
“We have to reimagine how we are actually engaging in the learning process. People of all age groups have access to information whether it’s factual or nonfactual just by picking up a phone. So, critiquing that information, looking at it to test for its factual integrity, discussing the ideas that emanate from those types of content is what we should be moving to now.”
Donncha''s biggest concern around the use of AI in education is around the current assessment model. “The assessment models are going to have to change,” he emphasises.
Donncha continues,“You won’t just be able to hand out essay titles and assignments and expect complete integrity in return. You’re going to have to have far more broader types of assessment from the point of view of interviews, focus group discussions, picking aspects of the research topic and delving into that to see what the learner’s experience is and ideas around it are”.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT have significant impacts on education
1. Personalized Learning:
AI can adapt educational content to individual students’ needs and learning styles. ChatGPT, for instance, can provide personalised assistance and explanations, catering to the unique requirements of students.
2. Enhanced Teaching Tools:
AI-powered educational tools and platforms equipped with ChatGPT can assist teachers in developing engaging lesson plans, generating automated assessments and providing real-time feedback to students.
3. Accessibility and Inclusion:
AI technologies can help make education more accessible for students with disabilities. ChatGPT, for instance, can assist in providing alternative formats for content consumption, such as text-to-speech or audio descriptions.
4. Intelligent Tutoring:
ChatGPT can act as a virtual tutor, offering additional support to students outside the classroom. It can provide explanations, answer questions, and guide learners through concepts, thus promoting self-paced learning.
5. Data Analysis and Insights:
AI algorithms can analyse large volumes of educational data. These insights can help educators tailor instruction, and develop targeted interventions. It can also help quantify and analyse large sets of data to help with research projects.