At Rushmore American School, we pride ourselves on equipping students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in an ever-changing world. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform societies, industries, and cultures, it is imperative to prepare our students not only to use AI responsibly but to shape its development. The UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Students offers a roadmap to achieve this goal, emphasizing the integration of ethical, technical, and human-centered AI education.
Why AI Literacy Matters
AI’s integration into daily life—from virtual assistants to advanced medical diagnostics—demands a population that understands its mechanisms and implications. Yet, as of 2022, only 15 countries worldwide had introduced AI education into their national curricula, the United Arab Emirates is recognised as a leader in this area. This gap presents a challenge but also an opportunity for schools like ours to lead the charge in fostering AI literacy.
AI literacy goes beyond technical know-how. It encompasses a critical understanding of AI’s societal, ethical, and environmental impacts. The UNESCO framework identifies four key areas for student competencies:
- Human-Centered Mindset: Understanding the role of human agency and accountability in AI.
- Ethics of AI: Navigating ethical considerations like data privacy, bias, and fairness.
- AI Techniques and Applications: Building foundational knowledge of algorithms, data, and AI applications.
- AI System Design: Developing skills to design and evaluate AI systems.
The UNESCO Framework at Rushmore
The UNESCO framework categorizes learning objectives into three levels: Understand, Apply, and Create. At Rushmore, we plan to integrate these levels into age-appropriate learning opportunities:
- Understanding AI (Level 1): Students will explore what AI is, its foundational concepts, and its potential societal implications. For example, younger students might examine how recommendation algorithms on streaming platforms work.
- Applying AI (Level 2): This level introduces hands-on experiences where students apply ethical and technical principles to real-world challenges. They might use AI tools to analyze environmental data or design ethical AI-driven solutions.
- Creating AI (Level 3): Advanced students will engage in creating their own AI systems, focusing on sustainable, human-centered designs. This could include programming projects or developing AI models to solve specific local issues.
Ethical and Inclusive AI Education
At the heart of the UNESCO framework is the principle of inclusivity. Rushmore is committed to ensuring that AI education is accessible to all students. This means providing resources for those in low-tech settings, addressing biases in AI models, and fostering diverse perspectives in AI development.
Our curriculum will emphasize ethics-by-design, ensuring students understand the impact of their creations. Through discussions and projects, they’ll grapple with key questions in relation to AI, this kind of enquiry will shape the ethical leaders of tomorrow.
Building Lifelong AI Competencies
Rushmore American School is not just preparing students for a career in technology; we’re preparing them for life in an AI-driven world. By grounding their learning in UNESCO’s globally recognized framework, we will ensure our graduates possess the critical thinking, ethical judgment, and technical skills needed to lead in this era.
Together, let’s empower our students to be not just users of AI but conscientious co-creators, shaping a future that’s inclusive, sustainable, and just.
