K-12 students, educators share how they are using artificial intelligence in the classroom

No matter where you went to school, there is one task that has united most of us in misery — homework.

Perhaps you remember staying up all night writing an essay on a Shakespeare play that you, of course, waited until the last minute to read. Or maybe you remember those grueling hours at the dinner table, as a parent helped with impossible algebra homework.

Today's students have a different tool to help with their assignments — artificial intelligence.

A report from the digital rights nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology last year found 85% of teachers and 86% of students reported using AI in the classroom.

Students can now use AI to summarize complicated texts and even write entire essays for them. They can type a math problem or chemistry equation into Chat GPT or Gemini and have it solved instantly, no hour-long sessions with a parent needed.

Educators and parents have mixed feelings about the prevalence of artificial intelligence in the classroom. It's even prompted the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to require all public K-12 school districts to adopt official AI policies by July.

But what do high schoolers think about AI? How is it shaping their learning and outlook of their futures?

Reporter Anna Huntsman has been traveling to schools in Northeast Ohio to find the answer to that question, and she'll share what she's learned on Tuesday’s “Sound of Ideas,” as part of our week-long series, Ideastream Explores: Artificial Intelligence.

Artificial intelligence pioneer discusses the origins of machine learning

Later in the hour, early research in artificial intelligence used the human brain as a model for building machines that could understand language — today's large language models, or LLM's.

Computational neuroscientist Dr. Terrence Sejnowski at the Salk Institute in San Diego is a pioneer in the field.

He spoke with Ideastream's Jeff St. Clair about the links between humans and artificial intelligence and the push to build even smarter machines.

Guests:

- Lauren Angelone, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education and Instructional Technology, Xavier University

- Joseph South, Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer, ISTE + ASCD

- Adam Lockwood, Ph.D., Associate Professor of School Psychology, Kent State University

- Terrence Sejnowski, Ph.D., Author, "ChatGPT and the Future of AI"

- Anna Huntsman, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media

- Jeff St. Clair, Midday Host, Ideastream Public Media