Singapore supports the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT in schools, but wants to ensure students do not become over-reliant on them and understand the limits of these technologies.
As such tools emerge and become more pervasive over time, schools and institutes of higher learnings (IHLs) must be able to effectively harness them to enhance learning, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. He said the ministry already was providing educators the “guidance and resource” to do so.
“As with any tech, ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools present both opportunities and challenges to users,” Chan said in parliament Monday, in response to questions from Members of Parliament (MPs). “There are professional discussion groups amongst our educators to explore its use in the education setting. At the same time, our educators will still teach students to understand fundamental concepts and guide students against developing an over-reliance on technological tools.”
He likened it to how calculators supported students’ capacity for learning mathematics, but did not replace the need for students to first master basic mathematical operations.
“ChatGPT can be a useful tool for learning only when students have mastered basic concepts and thinking skills,” the minister said. “In a more uncertain world, we must also teach our students to embrace and learn to work with tools in the new normal that have a range of outcomes beyond a deterministic outcome, like [one produced by] a calculator.”
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