How China Is Using Artificial Intelligence in Classrooms | WSJ
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores China's ambitious integration of AI in education, aiming to lead in global AI advancements. Primary schools utilize technology like headbands that monitor students' concentration levels, sending data to teachers and parents. Classrooms feature robots analyzing health and engagement, and students wear uniforms with tracking chips. Despite concerns over privacy and the effectiveness of these tools, the government invests heavily, seeking to enhance student performance with AI, raising questions about the long-term impact on students and society.
Takeaways
- 📚 Chinese primary schools are integrating AI technology into classrooms to monitor and improve students' concentration levels.
- 🧠 Students wear headbands that measure brainwave activity, which is used to assess their level of focus and attention in class.
- 💻 The data collected from the headbands is sent in real time to teachers' computers and also shared with parents through a chat group.
- 🏢 China aims to be a global leader in artificial intelligence and is investing heavily in AI education, involving tech giants, startups, and schools.
- 🤖 Classrooms are equipped with robots that analyze students' health and engagement levels, and students wear uniforms with tracking chips.
- 👀 Surveillance cameras in classrooms monitor students' behaviors, such as checking phones or yawning, contributing to a high-tech educational environment.
- 🚀 Despite concerns from netizens, schools report that they have obtained parental consent for these AI integrations without much difficulty.
- 🧐 The effectiveness and accuracy of the headband technology in measuring concentration are questioned, with experts noting potential for false readings.
- 📈 Teachers claim that the use of AI monitoring has led to improved discipline and higher academic performance among students.
- 😴 Some students express the added pressure of being monitored, with attention scores influencing parental reactions.
- 🔒 There are concerns about privacy and data protection, with the potential for data to be used in government-funded research without clear consent or awareness.
Q & A
What technology is being used in Chinese primary schools to measure students' concentration levels?
-Headbands with sensors that measure brain waves using electroencephalography (EEG) are being used to assess students' concentration levels in Chinese primary schools.
How does the information from the headbands get communicated to teachers and parents?
-The information from the headbands is sent in real-time to the teacher's computer and is also sent to a chat group for parents, providing detailed reports on each student's concentration level.
What is China's goal regarding artificial intelligence in the context of the script?
-China aims to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, with plans to integrate AI into various aspects of society, including education and surveillance.
How do the classrooms in the script utilize AI technology for student engagement and health monitoring?
-Classrooms use robots to analyze students' health and engagement levels, and students wear uniforms with chips that track their locations, as well as surveillance cameras that monitor phone usage and yawning during classes.
What concerns have been raised by the use of these AI gadgets in schools?
-Concerns include the potential for false readings due to the susceptibility of EEG to artifacts, the added pressure on students due to attention scores, and the lack of clarity on data privacy and its potential use in government-funded research.
What is the role of the brain wave sensing gadget in the classroom as described in the script?
-The brain wave sensing gadget, with three electrodes, picks up electrical signals from neurons in the brain, allowing teachers to monitor which students are paying attention in real-time while solving math problems.
How does the script describe the impact of these AI tools on students' discipline and academic performance?
-Teachers in the script report that the use of AI tools has led to improved student discipline and attention during class, which in turn has resulted in harder studying and higher scores.
What is the opinion of Theodore Zanto, the neural scientist, on the use of EEG in classrooms?
-Theodore Zanto expresses surprise and concern about the use of EEG in classrooms, noting that it is usually used by doctors in hospitals and labs, and is susceptible to artifacts that can affect the signal.
How are parents involved in the AI education system as depicted in the script?
-Parents are involved through receiving detailed reports on their child's concentration levels at regular intervals, which are shared in a chat group, although some parents seem unclear or indifferent about the ultimate use of the data.
What is the potential long-term impact of these AI tools on students as they grow into adulthood, according to the script?
-The script suggests that the long-term impact of these AI tools on students will not be apparent until they become adult citizens, indicating that the full consequences of this high-tech educational experiment are yet to be seen.
What role do tech giants, start-ups, and schools play in the government-funded AI education project mentioned in the script?
-Tech giants, start-ups, and schools are brought together in a government-funded project that has poured billions of dollars into integrating AI technology into education, with the goal of boosting student grades and feeding powerful algorithms.
Outlines
🧠 AI in Education: Monitoring Concentration with Headbands
This paragraph discusses the integration of AI technology in a Chinese primary school to monitor students' concentration levels. Teachers receive real-time data from headbands worn by students, which measure their focus and send the information to both the teacher's computer and parents. The script outlines China's ambition to lead in AI, with a cashless economy and extensive surveillance network. The school's use of AI includes robots analyzing health and engagement, uniforms with tracking chips, and cameras observing student behavior. Despite concerns from netizens, schools claim to have obtained parental consent for these AI experiments, which are aimed at improving grades and feeding algorithms. The government's investment in this project is significant, involving tech giants, startups, and schools.
🔍 Concerns Over Privacy and Effectiveness of AI in Classrooms
The second paragraph raises concerns about the privacy and effectiveness of AI in educational settings. It mentions that the classroom is being used as a laboratory for future generations, with the potential to help millions of students improve their grades. However, the long-term effects of this AI-driven education will only be understood when these students become adults. Theodore Zanto, a neural scientist, expresses concern about the lack of privacy protection and the challenges of accurately assessing individual students in such an environment. The use of EEG technology in classrooms is highlighted as unusual, given its susceptibility to artifacts and the need for proper setup to avoid false readings. The paragraph concludes with the observation that while these tools may help, the implications of their use in education are still uncertain.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Concentration
💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)
💡Facial Recognition
💡Surveillance Cameras
💡EEG (Electroencephalography)
💡Neural Data
💡Parental Consent
💡Data Privacy
💡Educational Technology
💡Discipline
💡Student Pressure
Highlights
Chinese primary school uses headbands to measure students' concentration levels, with data sent to teachers and parents.
China aims to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, with a cashless economy and extensive surveillance network.
Schools in China integrate AI technology, such as robots analyzing students' health and engagement, and surveillance cameras monitoring phone usage and yawning.
Students wear uniforms with tracking chips and use brain wave sensing devices to measure concentration in real-time.
The use of AI in education has raised privacy and ethical concerns among Chinese netizens.
The Chinese government has invested billions into AI education projects, partnering with tech giants, startups, and schools.
A primary school outside Shanghai demonstrates the use of AI technology in classrooms, including brain wave sensing gadgets for meditation.
The brain wave sensing device uses EEG technology, typically used in hospitals, to pick up electrical signals from the brain.
Despite concerns about the accuracy and research behind EEG headbands, teachers claim they have improved student discipline and grades.
Some students feel additional pressure due to attention scores and parental punishment based on the data.
Companies and parents are unclear about the privacy protection and final destination of the collected data.
Neural scientist Theodore Zanto expresses surprise at the use of EEG in classrooms and highlights its susceptibility to artifacts.
Experts and citizens are concerned about the long-term implications of AI integration in education on future generations.
The effectiveness and ethical considerations of AI in education will only become apparent as the current students grow into adulthood.
Transcripts
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Presenter] Teachers at this primary school in China--
(speaking in foreign language)
know exactly when someone isn't paying attention.
(speaking in foreign language)
These headbands measure
each student's level of concentration.
The information is then directly sent
to the teacher's computer and to parents.
(upbeat hip hop music)
China has big plans to become a global leader
in artificial intelligence.
It has enabled a cashless economy,
where people make purchases with their faces.
A giant network of surveillance cameras
with facial recognition helps police monitor citizens.
Meanwhile, some schools offer glimpses of what the future
of high tech education in the country might look like.
(speaking in foreign language)
Classrooms have robots that analyze students' health
and engagement levels.
Students wear uniforms with chips
that track their locations.
There are even surveillance cameras that monitor
how often students check their phones
or yawn during classes.
These gadgets have alarmed Chinese netizens.
(digital dinging)
(quizzical music)
(digital swishing)
But, schools say it wasn't hard for them
getting parental consent to enroll kids
into what is one of the worlds largest experiments
in AI education.
A program that's supposed to boost students' grades
while also feeding powerful algorithms.
(speaking in foreign language)
The government has poured billions of dollars
into the project.
Bringing together tech giants, start-ups and schools.
(upbeat electronic music)
We got exclusive access to a primary school a few hours
outside of Shanghai.
(speaking in foreign language)
To see firsthand how AI tech is being used in the classroom.
For this fifth grade class, the day begins with putting on
a brain wave sensing gadget.
Students then practice meditating.
(speaking in foreign language)
The device is made in China and has three electrodes,
two behind the ears and one on the forehead.
These sensors pick up electrical signals
sent by neurons in the brain.
The neural data is then sent in real time
to the teacher's computer,
so while students are solving math problems,
a teacher can quickly find out who's paying attention
and who's not.
(speaking in foreign language)
A report is then generated that shows how well
the class was paying attention.
It even details each student's concentration level
at 10 minute intervals.
It's then sent to a chat group for parents.
(speaking in foreign language)
The reports are detailed,
but whether these devices really work
and what they exactly measure isn't as clear.
(speaking in foreign language)
We were curious if the headbands
could actually measure concentration.
So, one of our reporters tried on the device.
(speaking in foreign language)
- This is a new technology with,
still, fairly little research behind it.
- [Presenter] Therodore Zanto is a neural scientist
at the University of California San Francisco.
He was surprised to learn that this tech,
called electroencephalography, also known as EEG,
is being used in the classroom on children.
It's usually used by doctors in hospitals and labs.
- [Theodore] EEG is very susceptible to artifacts
and so, if you are itchy or just a little fidgety
or the EEG wasn't setup properly, so that the electrodes
didn't have a good contact, effects the signal.
- [Presenter] Despite the chances for false readings,
teachers told us the headbands have forced students
to become more disciplined.
(dramatic piano music)
(speaking in foreign language)
Teachers say the students now pay better attention
during class and that has made them study harder
and achieve higher scores.
(speaking in foreign language)
But, not all students are as enthusiastic.
(speaking in foreign language)
This fifth grader, whom we caught dozing off in class,
told us his parents punish him for low attention scores
and that kind of data adds
a new kind of pressure for students.
(speaking in foreign language)
Companies we interviewed said the data can go
to government funded research projects.
We spoke to parents who were unclear
about where the data ended up
and they didn't seem to care too much.
Zanto says, there's likely no privacy protection at all.
- [Theodore] The classroom is you're trying
to make an assessment of an individual student,
you really can't anatomize it.
(dramatic electronic music)
- [Presenter] Experts and citizens alike
are sounding alarms about various aspects
of the country's huge push into artificial intelligence.
These classrooms are laboratories for future generations
and while these new tools may potentially help
some two hundred million students raise their grades,
just how this all works out won't be apparent
until they become adult citizens.
(upbeat electronic music)
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