FPF Releases Infographic Highlighting the Spectrum of AI in Education  

To highlight the wide range of current use cases for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education and future possibilities and constraints, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) today released a new infographic, Artificial Intelligence in Education: Key Concepts and Uses. While generative AI tools that can write essays, generate and alter images, and engage with students have brought increased attention to the topic, schools have been using AI-enabled applications for years.

The AI in Education infographic builds on FPF’s 2023 The Spectrum of Artificial Intelligence report and infographic, and illustrates a sample of the use cases these technologies support, tailored to the school environment.

“AI encompasses a broad range of technologies, and understanding the main types of AI, how they interrelate, and how they use student data is critical for educators, school leaders, and policymakers evaluating their risks and benefits in the educational environment,” said Jim Siegl, FPF Senior Technologist for Youth & Education Privacy. “Understanding the use case and context is critically important, and we hope this infographic underscores the need for nuance when setting AI policies in schools.”

Although popular edtech tools powered by machine learning (ML), large language models (LLM), and generative AI (GEN) are transforming education by personalizing learning experiences and automating administrative tasks, AI is not limited to these models. It spans various other forms, including knowledge engineering, symbolic AI, natural language processing, and reinforcement learning, each contributing uniquely to enhancing human capabilities in the completion of specific tasks in the school context.

The infographic takes a closer look at several common AI use cases in schools, including: 

• Automated grading and feedback, allow teachers to spend more time focused on instruction and student support. While these tools may aid in consistency and objectivity in grading, they should be designed to comply with student privacy laws, and the output should be reviewed by the teacher for risk of bias.
  
• Student monitoring, via integrated systems designed to assist schools in monitoring activity on school-issued divides, accounts, and district internet connections. Student monitoring is done to detect threats to student safety, comply with state and federal regulations, respond to community concerns, and identify at-risk students.
  
• Curriculum development, through systems that can help educators design effective curricula to meet current education standards and student needs. Additionally, AI can help generate quizzes, worksheets, and reading materials tailored to the curriculum.
  
• Intelligent tutoring systems can create customized learning plans and provide students with additional support outside of classroom hours, helping to reinforce concepts through an interactive and engaging learning experience.
  
• School security includes using facial recognition and advanced video analytics to enable faster and more accurate responses to potential threats and ultimately help ensure a safe learning environment. 

AI in Education: Key Concepts and Uses is the latest infographic resource in a series from FPF; previously released infographics related to youth and education privacy include Encryption Keeps Everyone Safe, Unpacking Age Assurance: Technologies and Tradeoffs, Understanding Student Monitoring, and Youth Data and Privacy Protection 101. To view all of FPF’s infographics, click here.

To support schools seeking to vet AI tools for legal compliance, FPF released a checklist and guide last year. To access all of FPF’s Youth & Education Privacy resources, visit StudentPrivacyCompass.org.