Experts: The impact of AI on education 

ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are changing the way students learn, from grade school to grad school. On April 25, the Higher Council of Education, jointly with the Commission on Ethics in Science and Technology, submitted a report calling for the supervision and regulation of AI in higher education in Quebec.   

At McGill University, scholars will explore the impacts of this evolving technology from academic and industry perspectives in a two-day symposium. EduGenAI: Shaping Tomorrow's Learning with Generative AI takes place May 13 & 14 in McGill’s McCall MacBain Arts Building. 

Here are some experts from McGill University who can comment on this topic: 

Adam Dubé, Associate Professor, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology  

“Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is the latest consumer technology touted as a ‘game-changer’ for education. Educators, administrators, and policymakers are bombarded with endless advice on how to make our classrooms and institutions GenAI ready. Advice ranges from the pollyannaish rapid adoption of the latest GenAI tools to scaremongering ineffective bans of all things algorithmic. The future of GenAI in education is neither so promising nor bleak. This middle path must be forged by combining the latest research with wisdom from successes and failures adopting yesteryears’ ‘game-changing’ technologies into classrooms.” 

Adams Dubé is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and the Director of the Office of EdTech for the Faculty of Education. He studies how educational technology impacts teaching and learning, for both good and ill.  

adam.dube [at] mcgill.ca (English) 

Eric Kolaczyk, Full Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics  

“There is, understandably, much interest in and anxiety towards how AI – particularly GenAI – may impact education, with both optimists and pessimists weighing in.  Most fundamentally, what is needed is a better understanding of the potential impacts of AI on education and evidence-based best-practices for its responsible use.” 

Eric Kolaczyk is a Full Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the Inaugural Director of the Computational and Data Systems Initiative. His research focuses on the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and AI, where these theories and methods empower human activities through computer systems. 

eric.kolaczyk [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)