Will AI make American education even more unequal?

The proverbial genie is out of the bottle. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is being developed and used at a dramatic pace, much faster than the ability of policymakers to understand, much less regulate, its use. AI technologies are changing the way services are provided and businesses operate, and it is already clear that this new technology will produce winners and losers. The technology has the potential to transform almost every sector of society. In education, the changes produced by the use of AI are particularly dramatic and unsettling. Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT are now widely used by many students in K-12 and higher education. Undoubtedly, professors will also use these tools to publish “their” work. Widespread use is leading to profound new questions related to intellectual property rights, authorship and the need for new rules to guide attribution. In the absence of clear rules, some universities and school districts have banned the use of generative AI altogether. However, given widespread access to AI tools, it’s unclear whether such bans are even enforceable.  Rather than simply attempting to ban or limit the use of AI, it is important for policymakers to focus on a few critical questions. Who will have access to cutting-edge technology as it’s developed? Access will be a key factor in determining whether AI will be used to further educational opportunity or reduce it. Similarly, as the pace of change accelerates, how should educational institutions set rules for the use of AI by students and faculty? Most of…Will AI make American education even more unequal?