On 3 May, TalTech student teams debated the challenges of using artificial intelligence in education in the national round of the European Ethics Bowl competition. Artificial intelligence is having a significant impact on education, changing both teaching and learning methods, from teaching tools to learning styles.
The aim of the European Ethics Competition is to encourage students to discuss topics of societal importance, in order to develop critical thinking, teamwork, and discussion skills. This year's topic was set in the spirit of the times, weighing the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence in education. How can we resolve the moral dilemmas arising from the use of artificial intelligence tools in education while ensuring that the purpose of learning does not get lost in the whirlwind of technological advances?
The judges were Associate Professor Merle Ojasoo from the Department of Business Administration, Birgy Lorenz, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Studies at the School of Information Technology, and Aivar Hiio, Project Manager of the Public Sector Innovation Fund at the Government Office.
Main organiser Aive Pevkur:
Artificial intelligence is already capable of performing tasks previously reserved for people with a university degree. So universities need to develop skills where AI is weak. One such skill is the ability to weigh values and ethical choices. This year's student teams demonstrated excellent debating and analytical skills when considering ethical choices.
The teams pointed out that this year's topic was very interesting and relevant, and inspired them to take part. This time, the winners were Veronica-Mariana Stefan, Nicole Tünni and Kaisa Keerd, students at the Department of Law of the School of Business and Governance, who commented on the experience as follows:
Why did you decide to participate?
Participating in the European Ethics Bowl competition was an opportunity to showcase our abilities in a slightly different format than in a normal classroom environment. In short, we wanted to challenge ourselves and, at the same time, join extracurricular activities that can contribute to our professional portfolio. The fact that the competition has both a national and international dimension it gave us an extra incentive to pursue it as we aspire to connect to like-minded colleagues outside of our personal bubbles.
What do you think about the topic of this year’s competition?
First of all it’s important to acknowledge that we all have a shared interest in emerging technologies, so the topic of AI in education fitted our team's individual experience and interest very well. Second of all, as Law students, during the past academic year, we had various opportunities to discuss some of the implications of this technology as well as various regulation proposals that have been part of the public agenda during our lectures. In this context, debating about AI in education seems a very timely moment. As students, we are particularly interested in being part of these events and actively contributing to them. Last but not least, we are aware that debates about AI in education might be part of the hype created around specific technologies, such as ChatGPT, but its use in educational life definitely goes beyond that, having the potential to change our society as we know it.
Was it difficult to prepare for the competition?
Our preparation was a mix of what we've learned in class but also individual research and reading of the newest materials out there. We started about a month before the competition by collecting different resources (from reports drafted by UNESCO, Council of Europe to regulation initiatives), and afterwards, we started drafting the concept of the video. Probably the most challenging part was to summarise everything that we knew and include it in a 5 minute presentation. But once we had the concept of the video, things were pretty easy. Working in a team of three is quite efficient, but dealing with such a complex topic has its own challenges. Overall, we wouldn’t necessarily say it was easy to prepare, but we were definitely motivated to join the competition and make the best of it. As said in the beginning, we embraced the challenge and wanted to do something outside our formal classes.
Some other comments?
The day of the debate was something we particularly appreciated. We enjoyed learning from others and contributing to the conversations surrounding the topic. It’s definitely great that we won, but we were also very interested in hearing the feedback and learning what we could do to improve in such contexts, in the end, everything is a learning experience. Our gratitude also goes out to the organizers, judges, and fellow participants for their hard work and dedication; it was a fun day to talk about AI!