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South Korea's plan to introduce digital textbooks with artificial intelligence in schools has sparked strong reactions from parents and scientists who worry about excessive use of digital devices and possible misinformation of their children.
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said this week that tablets with AI capabilities were “crucial” to a planned overhaul of Korea's school system. The technology is ready to be introduced in classrooms for schoolchildren aged 8 and above next 12 months.
But the proposal, which the South Korean government says is the primary of its kind on this planet, is facing resistance from many parents who’re already concerned about how much time their children spend on smartphones and tablets.
South Korea consistently scores highest in OECD tests of international student assessment, but the federal government in Seoul is worried that the normal emphasis on rote learning is stifling innovation at a time when the country wants to cut back its dependence on traditional manufacturing.
“We all agree that we want to maneuver from a one-sided, memorization-based classroom to a spot where students can engage and take responsibility for his or her learning,” Lee said. “2025 is a vital 12 months for this shift and we want to make use of AI textbooks to assist teachers transform their teaching.”
According to the South Korean Ministry of Education, the tablets can be customizable in order that “fast learners” and “slow learners” could be assessed by the software and given different AI-generated tasks of various difficulty.
However, the federal government has provided few details about exactly how the digital textbooks – and other AI-powered teaching tools being developed by Korean technology corporations similar to LG and Samsung – will work, or how the system can be shielded from the AI's tendency to “hallucinate” or produce errors.
By 2028, the AI apps can be rolled out to all subjects except music, art, sports and ethics. Teachers will monitor activities via a digital dashboard. Students will receive digital literacy lessons to assist them use AI tools responsibly.
“AI textbooks will enable teachers to evaluate the training level and pace of every student based on their data and supply a tailored education to every of them,” a government official said.
“Many students are likely to go to sleep in school as a few of them have already learned the fabric in private cram schools and others just cannot follow the teachings,” the official added. “(Soon) they are going to give you the chance to think outside the box as AI textbooks will provide different content for each situation and can stimulate their interest in learning and help them think creatively.”
Other AI tools to be introduced in Korean classrooms include programs that may transfer a teacher's remarks to an electronic whiteboard because the teacher walks across the classroom. The country has also tested mobile robots that provide AI-generated answers to students' questions.
However, many observers remain skeptical of the federal government's proposals. Shin Kwang-young, a professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, said the federal government is attempting to introduce the AI textbooks “too swiftly and without properly considering the uncomfortable side effects simply because AI is a megatrend today.”
More than 50,000 parents have signed a petition demanding that the federal government pay more attention to the general well-being of scholars. “We as parents are already facing many problems on an unprecedented scale arising from using digital devices (by our youngsters),” the petition states.
Lee Sun-young, a 41-year-old mother of two school-age sons in Seoul, said she would favor to see more tutors hired to support students somewhat than AI textbooks.
“I worry that excessive use of digital devices could negatively affect their brain development, their ability to pay attention and their problem-solving skills – they already use smartphones and tablets an excessive amount of,” she said.
Nevertheless, the South Korean government's introduction of AI textbooks was welcomed by many teachers. In a survey by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, 54 percent of presidency teachers expressed their support.
South Korea's move goes against the trend in other industrialized countries whose governments are attempting to limit or make it difficult for youngsters to access smartphones and tablets in schools.
There is a risk that AI within the classroom will “opened up of control,” Shin said, given the potential spread of misinformation, plagiarism and the leak of scholars' personal data.
To address legitimate concerns about rote learning, a “fundamental” overhaul of the education system, including examination methods, is required, Shin added.
