More than half of teachers in Germany (51%) already have experience with artificial intelligence (AI) in a school context. This is evident from a study by the IT industry association Bitkom. According to the survey of 502 teachers at levels I and II of secondary education, AI applications such as ChatGPT, SchulKI or FieteAI are used in lessons, and 28% plan to do so in the future. Another 28 percent have not yet used such tools but plan to do so. 11 percent do not want to use AI at all, while 7 percent use it privately.
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Of the teachers who have already used AI in the classroom, 81% used AI to convey knowledge, especially to explain AI (59%). Another 30 percent used AI to create exam tasks and 29 percent used AI as a tool to check tasks.
Different opinions about the use of AI
Despite the interest in AI in schools, there are also concerns. 39 percent of respondents believe that AI has no place in schools. Nevertheless, even among these respondents, 79% agree that all students should acquire AI skills.
According to the research, digitalisation has improved significantly overall as a result of the Digital Pact for Schools, which expires this year. 92% of respondents consider follow-up financing important and 93% are convinced that a Digital Pact 2.0, which is often requested, should also include financing for licenses, learning materials and further training. According to the survey, almost half still use overhead projectors.
Between June and August this year, Bitkom Research conducted a telephone survey among 502 secondary level 1 and 2 teachers in lower secondary schools, multi-curricular schools, modern secondary schools, secondary schools, integrated comprehensive schools and independent schools. According to Bitkom, the research is representative.
AI is coming, computer science as a school subject is rare
When the EU AI Regulation comes into force in August 2024, both students and teachers will be supported in acquiring and passing on the necessary digital skills and competencies. According to the AI Act, this also includes media literacy and critical thinking. AI must therefore be carefully monitored to ensure equal educational opportunities and ensure that no one is discriminated against.
For example, at the beginning of July 2024, the task force “Artificial Intelligence in Education” made recommendations to the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (pdf) for the responsible use of AI in schools, universities and secondary education. There are still some knowledge gaps in schools when it comes to using AI. This also has to do with the fact that there are only a few states that already offer computer science as a compulsory subject for all types of schools and for several lessons per week.
According to Liane Haak, professor of business informatics at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, young people do use voice and writing assistants, but there is a lack of insight into the underlying technologies and possible risks. She and her team want to close this gap by promoting the safe use of AI in schools – a first project starts at a secondary school in Lingen, according to a press release. The aim is to tackle not only the operation of algorithms, but also the AI law.
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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.