The impact of the focus on artificial intelligence (AI) can be seen in the technology sector over the past two years with tens of thousands having lost their jobs. Not because their jobs are being replaced by AI but because companies are changing their focus to AI products which is causing other parts of the business that are not relevant to be closed.
In South Korea, the government will start introducing the use of textbooks with AI in schools. By 2028. all teachers will have to use this digital textbook in all subjects except music, art, ethics and physical education. This is seen as a way to give students in South Korea an advantage because they are exposed to AI earlier than students in other countries.
But more than 50,000 parents and carers signed a petition calling for the government to focus on student wellbeing rather than introducing the latest technology, the Financial Times reports. Among the comments given by them is that the issue of using devices for too long has arisen among students. Mandating the use of digital textbooks in the classroom is seen as only making things worse.
The use of AI in the classroom is also a hot topic among parents in Malaysia with Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek saying it will be introduced in primary schools from 2027. Questions about the digital divide that will exist, the cost of using data and also the compatibility of introducing the subject of AI in school is still unanswered. Even the country's AI governance guidelines and code of ethics are still unknown.