Mobile Learning Week 2019: Deciphering the impact of Artificial Intelligence on education
Paris: UNESCO’s flagship ICT in education event Mobile Learning Week (4-8 March) will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for sustainable development. Held annually at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the five-day event, under the theme ‘Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable development’ will start with the ‘Global Conference – Principles for AI: Towards a humanistic approach?’, followed by a one-day Policy Forum and Workshops, a two-day International Symposium and a half-day of Strategy Labs.
Mobile Learning Week – organized in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union, the ProFuturo Foundation and Skillogs – will host more than 100 speakers and provide the educational community, governments and other stakeholders a unique chance to discuss the opportunities and threats of AI in the area of education.
AI has become the new norm in mobile learning, but its key potentials remain to be explored and unleashed. There is a strong need for a holistic review of its implications for equity and inclusion in education, efficiency of education management, quality of learning, and skills development. To maximize AI’s benefits and mitigate its potential risks, system-wide planning and collective actions to reinvent the core foundation of education and learning are required. The rapid deployment of AI in education tests the readiness of stakeholders to harness AI, posing new challenges pertinent to all areas of education and learning, such as policy planning, curriculum and resources development, teacher education, and skills development.
The key discussions at Mobile Learning Week will focus on:
Ensuring inclusive and equitable use of AI in education – actions on how to address inequalities related to socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity and geographic location; identify successful projects or proven effective AI solutions to break through barriers for vulnerable groups to access quality education.
Leveraging AI to enhance education and learning – improve education management systems, AI-boosted learning management systems or other AI in education applications; and identify new forms of personalized learning that can support teachers and tackle education challenges.
Promoting skills development for jobs and life in the AI era – support the design of local, regional and international strategies and policies; and explore how AI-powered mobile technology tools can support skills development and innovation.
Safeguarding transparent and auditable use of education data – analyze how to mitigate the risks and perils of AI in education; identify and promote sound evidence for policy formulation guaranteeing accountability; and adopt algorithms that are transparent and explainable to education stakeholders.
During the week, exhibitions, demonstrations, and more than 20 workshops of innovative AI applications for education will be organized by international partners and all programme sectors of UNESCO. On International Women’s Day (8 March), participants will be invited to join a debate on Women in AI.