The Importance of Teaching AI in K-5 Classes

Many students today are growing up in a technology-based environment where AI is very prevalent. Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Meta AI, Alexa+, and Microsoft Copilot just to name a few. But, few students realize the effect of AI in their lives and how it works. That's why it's important to help students understand AI at a young age.

Children are already aware of things like AI filters on social media apps and voice assistance through Google and Apple, but there is so much more than that. By helping children interact with AI tools, we can teach them different aspects of how AI works like:

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  "AI does some things very well, such as image/speech recognition, but other tasks like discerning emotions or making ethical decisions are currently done better by humans" (A Guide for Elementary Teachers, 6).
• "AI robots are able to interact with the environment around them because they have sensors that mimic animal senses" (A Guide for Elementary Teachers, 6).
• "AI navigation systems are trained to analyze different ways to get from one place to another and make independent decisions regarding the shortest or fastest route to a destination" (A Guide for Elementary Teachers, 6).
• "There are basic best practices for data collection for machine learning, including how data are gathered, classified, and organized using rules" (A Guide for Elementary Teachers, 6).

By teaching AI to children, we are showing them AI is trained to imitate humans, but they could never replace human intelligence. Making children aware of this at an early age will help them see it more as a tool. As they get older, they will hopefully see AI as less of a threat as they've used it all their lives. Read this blog post to learn more about AI in the classroom.