Morris Dixon assures that children using AI for homework ‘not a bad thing’
Published:Friday | May 17, 2024 | 12:06 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Amid debate around concerns that today’s students will use artificial intelligence (AI) to do their homework and present essays as their own, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for digital and skills transformation, believes, in one sense, that “it’s not a bad thing”.
“Last week, a radio station called me and said they wanted to do an interview on Meta AI. What was happening with WhatsApp and IG (Instagram), and their question was, ‘Isn’t this bad because the students are using this to do their homework?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s actually not a bad thing’,” Morris Dixon said on Wednesday as she addressed the annual Children of Jamaica Outreach Inc’s (COJO) Scholarship Luncheon, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
“We want our children to have access to technology and to be able to use all of this technology, and having it in WhatsApp (through Meta AI) is actually fabulous, but we have to obviously teach our children how to use it,” she said.
Meta AI was made available on WhatsApp in April during the recent software update which allows users to interact with a chatbot similar to ChatGPT.
“Your phone, I don’t know how many of you’ve looked at it, but on WhatsApp, you see Meta there now. In the past, you would have to download ChatGPT, but now it’s right there. AI is right there for you to use… . Embrace all this technology,” she said.
Career opportunities
Additionally, with scores of persons worried that their roles will soon become redundant due to AI now being readily available at smartphone users’ fingertips, Morris Dixon, who was appointed to her newly created portfolio by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, encouraged those individuals to explore opportunities that facilitate a career change or upgrade.
“As we look ahead, it is evident that the jobs of tomorrow will be different from those of today. According to the World Economic Forum, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines by 2025. That’s in another year,” Morris Dixon said.
“While that is gloomy and headline grabbing, the next part is not so. In that same report … they anticipated that 97 million new roles will emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labour, so you’re going to lose some jobs, and there are going to be some areas that are emerging,” she said.
She said with a net 12 million new jobs, with AI, robotics and automation at the forefront of this transformation, persons should prepare themselves to join the group that is ready for future jobs.
“AI is here. Next generation robots will follow. In time, more complex automation will become a reality, and we’re seeing it [already],” she said.
Morris Dixon also noted that automation is expected to impact 30 per cent of jobs globally and it is vital to stay current with emerging technology and industry trends.
“We need to figure out in this new age, where do I fit? How am I going to be indispensable to an employer or in my own business? How do I do that?” Morris Dixon said.
“In this dynamic environment, positioning yourself effectively for the future of work and the world ahead means embracing lifelong learning and embracing technology… . Technology is here to stay. You have to embrace it. Don’t throw off coding because ‘IT is not for me’. Coding is a language that’s important as those we speak, and of course, AI is making it much easier,” she said.
“Those who know how to use AI tools are simply more valuable to employers than people who do not know how to use AI. I have someone on my team who uses AI a lot, that is exceptionally productive, and I think productive because of his use of AI,” she said.
During the scholarship luncheon, approximately US$52,000 was issued in scholarships for 2024 to former wards of the state: Amanda Simmonds, Marisha Peddie, Newtana Jackson, Damion James, Grace Lecky, Rayon Davis, Rianna Bryan, Nicola Campbell, Delesha Erskine, David Bernard, Jermaine Wright, Kendle Fung, Okerie Pennant, Christina Williams and Paula Bailey.