Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Ong Hua Han, Nominated Member of Parliament
Question
To ask the Minister for Education (a) what other programmes beyond the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled tools on Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) will be put in place to develop baseline AI literacy of students; (b) whether there are plans to launch AI coding programmes in the curriculum; (c) if so, when will such programmes be targeted to be launched; and (d) whether such programmes will be run by teachers or third party service providers.
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Ong Hua Han, Nominated Member of Parliament
Question
To ask the Minister for Education (a) how many students have applied to join the Artificial Intelligence Student Outreach Programme; (b) what is the respective percentage of applicants who are from (i) secondary schools (ii) polytechnics (iii) Integrated Programme schools and (iv) junior colleges; and (c) whether there are plans to increase the take-up rate of the programme.
Response
1. Mr Speaker, members have asked how MOE plans to prepare our students, teachers and the workforce on the safe and responsible use of AI and address potential risks such as data breaches, misuse, and fake news spread through AI systems.
2. MOE recognises AI will become increasingly pervasive in the workplace and in our daily lives. To prepare our students and workforce, MOE develops students' foundational knowledge of AI and promotes its safe and responsible use in schools and our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Educators in schools and our IHLs are provided with guidance, resources and training to effectively harness it to enhance learning.
3. Students acquire relevant digital literacies, such as understanding AI, its uses and limitations, and ethical considerations in the course of learning different subjects. Students also have opportunities to further their learning through school-based programmes such as CCAs, Applied Learning Programmes (ALPs), and enrichment programmes which may be taught by teachers, industry partners and service providers.
4. One example is the AI Student Outreach Programme conducted by AI Singapore. In 2023, close to 17,000 students applied to join the programme, with the breakdown of applicants as follows: (i) polytechnics – 11%, (ii) secondary schools – 52%, (iii) IP schools – 11%, and (iv) junior colleges – 3%. Students from the Autonomous Universities and the Institute of Technical Education make up the remaining 23% of applicants.
5. Besides knowledge of AI, schools and IHLs have measures to guard against the risks of AI. In schools, students are taught cyber wellness skills, which include evaluating information and identifying fake news including those transmitted through AI systems, understanding data security, privacy, and responsible online behaviours. Teachers also guide students to use AI to support their learning, emphasising ethics related to the use of data and AI, such as importance of integrity and proper data handling.
6. The IHLs also incorporated the use of AI tools in specific domains to ensure students understand the risks that AI poses, such as the potential to perpetuate misinformation. They also have governance frameworks to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI.
7. Beyond our schools and IHLs, working adults can take up AI-related SkillsFuture courses to become smart and secure users of AI in their respective industries.
8. Mr Speaker, if I have your permission, let me illustrate this with some real examples of what's happening in our schools and IHLs.
9. Teachers at Temasek Primary School taught students to use an AI tool called Stable Diffusion, which is a generative AI image generator, when learning about sustainability concepts as part of the school's STEM ALP. Guided by their teachers, students learn how to write prompts, evaluate the effectiveness of their prompts, and adjust them to improve the quality of the generated images as they create an e-book to advocate sustainability.
10. Another example, students at Montfort Secondary School learn AI through their STEM ALP. Students learn the basic AI applications, such as image recognition, chatbots and smart assistants that use Natural Language Processing. Students build on this knowledge and further apply it in Design and Technology to design products, such as a blockchain-inspired smart savings application that tracks spending habits and automate money deposits.
11. Yet another example; at Peirce Secondary School, they use generative AI tools in coursework subjects like Design and Technology (D&T) and Nutrition and Food Science (NFS). D&T teachers guide their students to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Vizcom to generate new ideas for their projects, develop their ability to sketch, visualise and imagine solutions for their prototypes.
12. At Yuan Ching Secondary School, students also use AI to generate ideas for their NFS projects. In both schools, students are taught to evaluate the credibility of the AI-generated content by corroborating it with other reliable information sources. Students are also taught to acknowledge the use of AI tools and other sources in their report. This helps them to use AI ethically.
13. At a higher level, Anderson Serangoon Junior College (ASRJC) partnered AI Singapore to introduce students to foundational learning in AI. Through a jointly organised event, "Prepping for the AI Career Revolution", students learnt about AI and its use cases, and engaged in a dialogue with industry leaders. ASRJC also developed the ICT Champions programme to enhance digital literacy and skills among interested students.
14. At another level, we also use AI-enabled Adaptive Learning System (ALS) for Mathematics that has been made available through our SLS for the Primary 5 level topics since 2023, with more topics to be progressively rolled out over the next two years.
15. At St Hilda's Primary School, teachers guide students to use customised recommended resources for self-learning or embark on a different lesson if they would wish to explore a different subtopic.
16. At Rosyth School, before using the ALS, students undergo an introductory module on how AI can be used and its ethical considerations, to ensure students use AI safely and holistically.
17. At a higher level, for example at Temasek Polytechnic's Diploma in Interior Architecture & Design, students are taught to use AI tools to aid them in the design process, such as using ChatGPT to generate design statements, and MidJourney to generate reference images.
18. SUTD's Design and Artificial Intelligence (DAI) programme equips our students with technical expertise in AI and design innovation skills. Core domains covered include "Algorithms", "AI Applications in Design", and "Applied Deep Learning". Through acquiring such competencies in the various domains, graduates can apply AI-driven designs to transform the economy and improve lives. Mr Speaker, these are various examples that we apply and teach AI in our schools according to the age-appropriate levels.