Leave students to use AI but make sure they are taught to think critically -Professor Stephen Adei
Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Stephen Adei, added his voice to the use of Artificial intelligence (AI) by students. He stated that students in Ghana should be permitted to use AI but the teachers must teach them to think critically.
Voicing, he (Professor Stephen Adei) said students should use Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a learning tool emphasises but the that responsibility lies with educators to design assessments that encourage critical thinking beyond the tool’s, Al capabilities.
Speaking as a panel member at the Graphic National Development Series (GNDS) held on November 5, 2024 at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Prof. Adei argued that banning Al would only hinder progress.
“About the Al- listen, I would like the young people to use Al. We can’t go back,” he stated, adding that teachers should shift their approach by crafting questions that demand analysis and reflection, areas where Al falls short.
“The trouble is…often times the students are smarter than the teachers. That’s where the real challenge is. Let them use Al, but ask a question in such a way.”
Prof. Adei highlighted the role of Al as a tool that students can leverage for information gathering and efficiency, while educators must lead students to think independently. He recounted his own experience of testing Al’s limitations by asking a question, only for it to respond, “I’m only a machine.”
This, he said, underscores that Al, despite its vast data processing abilities, lacks true understanding.
The Professor called on schools to integrate Al responsibly rather than restrict its use, drawing from examples at institutions like Ashesi University, where engineering students use Al-driven technologies to build practical solutions, such as robots for garden maintenance. He urged schools to follow suit by adopting technologies like Chromebooks to prepare students for the future.
“We would want to teach you to responsibly use it, rather than to keep you off,” he noted, advocating for a curriculum that combines Al with hands-on problem-solving.
Comparing resistance to Al to the historical Luddite movement against technology, Prof Adei warned that an anti-Al stance would be a step backwards.
“The problem is not with Al. It’s we catching up so that the students can use Al for the Al things and move forward to do more practical things,” he stated.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
