Chinese Go player Ke Jie reacts during his second match with Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo at the Future of Go Summit in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, China, May 25, 2017. Photo: Reuters
Karachi:
Experts have warned that leaving children “at the mercy of artificial intelligence (AI)” could be dangerous, urging parents and schools to prioritize AI literacy as technology becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life.
The warning came during the 10th annual Adab Festival, which concluded on Sunday and featured the first-ever dedicated session on AI, a highlight of the two-day literary event.
The session focused on AI was attended by Mr. Sadaf Bhatti, Vice Principal of Happy Palace School, and Dr. Salman Ahmed Qatani, Associate Professor, Iqra University. Dr. Katani pointed out that new expressions like “vibe coding” have rapidly entered young people’s vocabulary this year, reflecting a growing reliance on AI tools without any understanding of machine learning or deep learning.
He said humans have long been forced to “act like machines”, but with the rise of automation, society needs to relearn how to “be human again”.
He warned that unsupervised exposure to AI could be harmful to children, and stressed the urgent need to embed AI literacy both at home and in school. He also talked about how his mother recently received a customized diet plan using an AI chatbot. Looking ahead, he said the world is moving towards artificial general intelligence (AGI), and the first country to achieve it will likely become the next superpower.
Bhatti said her school already uses two AI-powered robot teachers, one to instruct students and the other to provide support and supervision. After observing them for two years, she said she sensed “traces of emotional reactions” in their behavior. She added that while humans have difficulty listening with concentration for more than six minutes, AI can “listen 24 hours a day.”
He further added that while Punjab has introduced an AI policy aimed at training thousands of people over the next two years, most schools in Pakistan are yet to implement AI on a large scale. She argued that even if future generations won’t be good at languages, they should at least acquire the ability to use AI tools.
