10 Learnings from the AI Leadership Summit

In January, aiEDU and the Krause Center for Innovation hosted the Artificial Intelligence Leadership Summit. It was a unique opportunity for Bay Area educators and administrators to explore the possibilities and challenges of using AI in education alongside experts and leaders in the field.

Nidhi Parthasarathy, a junior at Lynbrook High School in Fremont Union High School District, was the only student in attendance and also served on a panel. We’re excited to share her experience first-hand, and in her own words.

I recently had the opportunity to participate and be a panelist at the Artificial Intelligence Leadership Summit, organized by the Krause Center for Innovation and aiEDU. This event brought together top leaders from more than fifty different school districts and organizations across the Bay Area. 

The goal of the day-long workshop was to raise awareness on the “what, why and how” of AI education and create a shared understanding and position on the technology’s transformative impact. Here are my main learnings from the event, covering eight key takeaways on AI and education, as well as two personal learnings. 

Go beyond “using AI in education” to “educating for a world with AI”

The workshop had some rich discussions on AI tools for education — chatbots, graders, curriculum planners, and more — but many of the attendees brought up another aspect that I had not thought about as much: how do we prepare students for a world influenced by AI? The teachers in the audience pointed out that their role was not just to adapt to AI but to equip students for a future where AI will play a big role in reshaping jobs and careers. This struck me as a crucial insight.

Teachers need to become students

Currently, many teachers don't have much experience with AI, which makes it hard for them to use new tools. It's crucial to invest in professional development for teachers if we want to see more AI in education. This was personally quite intriguing: I have been thinking of AI education for under-served students, but thinking about AI education tools with teachers as the target audience is a different interesting angle.

Teachers contribute uniquely human value

Heading into the conference, I thought one of the hot-button topics would be the potential of AI replacing teachers' jobs and how we could tackle that issue. However, chatting with many teachers at the summit, I discovered that most of them weren't worried about AI taking over or replacing teachers. They stressed the immense importance of human interaction in a classroom, emphasizing that teachers bring something unique that AI just doesn't have. It's something that can't be trained. Considering some of my best role models are my teachers, I could see their point. 

Avoid repeating social media’s mistakes 

A recurring concern voiced by many teachers was around the rapid pace at which students are picking up AI skills. Many of them were worried about a potential replay of social media’s rise, when quick adoption of new platforms led to improper use and lack of adult oversight. To avoid a similar situation with AI, teachers emphasized the need for early involvement from adults and some form of active engagement or moderation. 

The importance of ethical use 

The ethics of AI sparked numerous discussions, particularly about privacy. Transparency emerged as a key theme, with an emphasis on informing parents and students about AI usage in classrooms. The summit delved into the importance of utilizing unbiased training data and addressing potential AI biases that could disproportionately impact minority groups.

AI in education: revolution vs evolution

I noticed a split among teachers in their discussions about AI adoption — some viewed it as potentially disruptive and wanted immediate action, while others advocated for a more gradual integration. One teacher said that teachers shouldn't treat AI like a quick fix or a checkbox to tick off. Instead, he suggested exploring ways to incorporate AI into existing problem-solving frameworks rather than treating it as an entirely new and separate entity.

AI for mental health

One topic that I didn't expect was the intersection of mental health and AI. Regarding teachers, conversations focused on preventing burnout by leveraging AI to handle repetitive and draining tasks, allowing educators to concentrate on responsibilities like crafting lessons and assisting students. For students, AI chatbots were suggested as a potential outlet to express themselves without concerns about judgment. Attendees discussed the positive impact of actively engaging students in these conversations for their overall well-being.

AI as “augmented intelligence”

As part of the event, I participated in a panel about implementation and wellness alongside Chris Bell, a computer science teacher at Paly High School in Palo Alto; Ed Campos, a member of the California AI Task Force; Chris Mah, a PhD candidate at Stanford University; and Merve Lapus, vice president of education outreach and engagement at Common Sense Education. 

In the panel, I suggested thinking of AI as "augmented intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence." This subtle shift in terminology emphasizes the potential for AI to serve more as a tool than as a crutch. The conversation frequently drew comparisons to other transformative tools like the internet or calculators, highlighting the potential for AI to enhance human capabilities without overshadowing or substituting for them. 

In addition to gaining the insights listed above about AI and education, the event was also a great opportunity for my personal growth. As the only high school student in a group of more than 100 senior educators and professionals, two things stood out to me in particular. 

Diversity of perspectives leads to new ideas and insights

I have been working on several areas related to AI in education: developing AI-driven educational tools for STEM and computer science, AI outreach to under-served populations, bias in AI, and more. However, after attending the summit, I realized I had been looking at these issues purely from a student perspective. Hearing teachers and administrators talk about AI and education from their viewpoint amplified several new perspectives: teacher education, consistency across schools, human connection with students, helping students gain lifelong skills, and addressing teacher and student burnout. I left the meeting with lots of exciting new ideas. Diversity in data sets does not help just machine learning, it is important for human learning too! 

Stepping outside my comfort zone can be scary, but also rewarding

It was quite intimidating to be the only high schooler in an event with some incredibly distinguished attendees, including my fellow co-panelists. But venturing outside my comfort zone proved to be incredibly fulfilling. I had the chance to meet new people, participate in insightful discussions, and provide a student's perspective in an adult-centric conference. Interacting with amazing panelists who shared innovative ideas expanded my thinking in ways I hadn't explored before. The respect and gratitude I received for my opinion made me feel valued and important. The passion evident in everyone to help students and foster change within the education community left a lasting impression. 

In closing, thanks to Christian and Justin for organizing the event and inviting me to be a panelist. This summit was truly fantastic, offering immense learning and some great insights. We have some very exciting opportunities ahead, and I am eager to witness the future changes in the education system with the integration of AI.