The Education Bureau, which oversees the content of school curricula in Hong Kong, recently announced that students in the city island will learn to master the workings of AI as soon as the new school year begins. From September, students in Hong Kong will take courses teaching them how to use generative artificial intelligence software such as ChatGPT, or to learn about computer vision, this field of computer science seeking to perform and automate tasks that replicate human capabilities.
This new training is aimed at adolescents aged 12 to 15 who study in the 450 public schools in Hong Kong, according to the South Morning China Post. It will be spread over 10 to 14 hours of lessons, and will complete the program of the teaching unit on information and communication technologies.
Through these new courses, the Office of Education does not seek to make all Hong Kong middle school students future AI specialists or tech workers. But he believes that artificial intelligence will necessarily turn their lives upside down and that they must therefore understand how to use it so as not to be overwhelmed by this new technological advance.
Raising awareness of the dangers of AI
With this in mind, students will work in groups to identify and try to solve concrete problems using artificial intelligence. They will also be made aware of the challenges and ethical issues involved in the use of this technology in our lives. “It is important for students to know that powerful tools like AI can be both good and bad for society. I hope they will have a good understanding of how to use AI wisely”explained Yam Yeung, research professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, to the South Morning China Post.
While this artificial intelligence training is a novelty, children in Hong Kong have been introduced to computer coding in primary school since 2017. South Morning China Post also points out that 70% of colleges in the city introduced AI modules into their curricula before the Office of Education announcement.
France is lagging behind Hong Kong on these issues, even if the introduction to programming, coding and robotics for primary school students has been included in the programs since 2015. Its implementation in schools is still uneven. in the four corners of France, due to a lack of computer equipment and the apprehension of some teachers vis-à-vis a subject deemed difficult. However, French students seem ready to adopt AI: 57% of 14-16 year olds say they would like their school to use this technology more in the next five years, according to a recent Opinium-GoStudent study.