South Korean Government Wants To Switch To AI Textbook, Parents Give Hard Reaction

Illustration of the use of textbooks on tablets (photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA South Korea is pushing for the use of technology in various sectors, including education. In the coming years, all students will stop using regular books and switch to tablets. Based on the Financial Times report via TechCrunch, the South Korean government wants to bring artificial intelligence-based textbooks (AI) to the classroom. This textbook will be added to the tablet and plans to be introduced next year. The transition from ordinary books to AI-based textbooks makes parents worried. Not a few have doubts about this plan so they petition to stop using new technologies and focus on student welfare. This petition already gets more than 50,000 signatures. In the petition, it is written that, "We, as parents, have experienced many problems at an unprecedented rate that arises from exposure to digital devices." One parent, Lee Sun-youn, told the Financial Times that he was worried about the impact of the use of digital devices in the long term. According to him, this learning system transition could have a negative impact on brain development.

"I'm afraid the use of too many digital devices can have a negative impact on the development of the brain, the range of concentration, and the ability to solve their problems. They already use smartphones and tablets too much," Sun-youn said. The South Korean government has not yet responded to a petition made by parents. However, it seems that the government is very confident in the transition of this technology because teachers can monitor student development more easily. By 2028, all teachers from various schools are expected to have switched to this AI-based textbook. This change must be applied throughout the subject, except for music, arts, physical education, and ethics.