Unlike The US And Australia, Singapore Actually Allows ChatGPT In Education Field

Singapore has decided to support the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT at school. (photo: doc. Unsplash)

JAKARTA - In contrast to the steps taken by the United States (US) and Australia, Singapore has decided to support the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT in schools. However, students should not rely on these tools.

Singapore's Education Minister Chan Chun Sing stated that a student must understand the limitations of technology. This is because both ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools have become more widespread over time.

Therefore, schools and higher education institutions (IHL) must be able to use it effectively in order to improve learning. To support it, Chun Sing added, the ministry has provided educators with guidance and resources.

"Like any technology, ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools present both opportunities and challenges for users," Chun Sing said in response to a question from a Member of Parliament (MP) at a meeting held yesterday.

"There are professional discussion groups among our educators to explore its use in educational settings. At the same time, our educators will still teach students to understand basic concepts and guide students not to rely too much on technological tools," he added.

Chun Sing likens generative AI tools to how calculators support students in learning mathematics, but do not replace the need for those who must first master basic mathematics.

"ChatGPT can be a useful learning tool only if students have mastered basic concepts and thinking skills," said Chun Sing.

"In a more uncertain world, we must also teach our students to embrace and learn to work with tools in the new normal that have a range of results beyond deterministic results, such as (generated by) calculators," he added.

However, Chun Sing's decision was not without concern from lawmakers, who fear that ChatGPT could be exploited and used to help students cheat. They also asked if there were safeguards in place to reduce risks such as plagiarism.

Responding to this, Chun Sing said students must be made aware of the need for integrity and the consequences of plagiarism. Schools are also required to adopt processes to detect misuse of technology, such as assessing students' abilities and identifying unusual answers that can be generated by AI.

IHL, for example, uses a variety of ways to assess student competency, including presentations and exams, making it difficult to use AI to generate answers.

The Singapore government frequently emphasizes the importance of building trust with the responsible use of AI, in order to sustain its adoption and derive the greatest benefit from the technology.

In 2020, the AI ​​Ethics & Governance Knowledge Body was released to provide reference guidance for local businesses and IT professionals on the ethical aspects of developing and implementing AI technologies. This guide was developed based on the Singapore AI Model Governance Framework, as quoted from ZDNet, Tuesday, 7 February.

Singapore is a country that is different from the others. Not long ago, schools in New York, as well as Australia, have banned the use of ChatGPT due to fears of having a negative impact on student learning.