UNESCO Seeks Regulation in 1st Guidance on GenAI Use in Education

FILE - The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization logo is pictured on the entrance at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, Oct. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE - The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization logo is pictured on the entrance at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, Oct. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
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UNESCO Seeks Regulation in 1st Guidance on GenAI Use in Education

FILE - The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization logo is pictured on the entrance at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, Oct. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE - The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization logo is pictured on the entrance at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, Oct. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

UNESCO on Thursday published its first guidance on use of Generative AI (GenAI) for education, urging governmental agencies to regulate the use of the technology, including protection of data privacy and putting an age limit for users.
Launched by Microsoft-backed OpenAI in November, GenAI chatbot ChatGPT has become the world's fastest growing app to date, and its emergence has prompted the release of rivals, such as Google's Bard.
Students have also taken a liking for GenAI, which can generate anything from essays to mathematical calculations with just a few line of prompts, Reuters reported.
"We are struggling to align the speed of transformation of the education system to the speed of the change in technological progress and advancement in these machine learning models," Stefania Giannini, assistant director-general for education, told Reuters.
"In many cases, governments and schools are embracing a radically unfamiliar technology that even leading technologists do not claim to understand," she said.
Among a series of guidelines in a 64-page report, UNESCO stressed on the need for government-sanctioned AI curricula for school education, in technical and vocational education and training.
"GenAI providers should be held responsible for ensuring adherence to core values and lawful purposes, respecting intellectual property, and upholding ethical practices, while also preventing the spread of disinformation and hate speech," UNESCO said.
It also called for prevention of GenAI where it would deprive learners of opportunities to develop cognitive abilities and social skills through observations of the real world, empirical practices such as experiments, discussions with other humans, and independent logical reasoning.
While China has formulated rules on GenAI, the European Union's AI Act is likely to be approved later this year. Other countries are far behind in drafting their own AI laws.
The Paris-based agency also sought to protect the rights of teachers and researchers and the value of their practices when using GenAI.



King Salman Academy, Indiana University Partner on Arabic Language Program

King Salman Academy, Indiana University Partner on Arabic Language Program
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King Salman Academy, Indiana University Partner on Arabic Language Program

King Salman Academy, Indiana University Partner on Arabic Language Program

The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL) and Indiana University have launched a specialized academic program as part of the academy's Arabic language teacher training project for non-native speakers.
KSGAAL Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Washmi said the program, running until April 8, builds on ongoing efforts to develop Arabic language education for non-native speakers.

He highlighted the academy's commitment to quality teaching and the use of standardized tests like Hamza, an Arabic language proficiency test.

He added that the partnership with Indiana University underscores KSGAAL's dedication to international academic exchange and best practices in the field.
The program focuses on enhancing teacher and learner competency, improving teaching quality, and advancing language assessment through modern educational standards.

Activities include an introduction to language tests, a specialized training course for Arabic teachers of non-native speakers, and a symposium on Saudi Arabia's efforts in this field, culminating in a practical application of the Hamza test.