SEATTLE — Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage is growing rapidly in many parts of our lives, including children’s education.
“Kids need to learn about AI, how to use it responsibly and use it well, to be ready for college, career and life,” said Paige Johnson, vice president of education, Microsoft.
Parents can help students this school year by understanding how to use AI themselves. Microsoft Copilot is effective at summarizing information from a variety of sources.
“When you get a question you don’t know how to answer, you can use it as your own homework helper before you help your kids,” Johnson said.
The state of Washington is ahead of the curve right now when it comes to building AI skills into school curriculum. Teachers can also use AI to personalize learning, create lesson plans and help kids on different reading levels.
“When you talk about it from a teacher perspective, it’s often about saving time,” Johnson said.
Students can use tools like Reading Coach, a free literacy tool, to help them learn. The tool uses AI to help a child create a story they’re interested in based on topics they like. They then read the story aloud, and it gives them immediate feedback.
Microsoft provides resources, including a new video series, to help kids and parents use AI responsibly. Minecraft Education has a series of in-game worlds where students can explore subjects like coding, online safety and AI.
Johnson also provides three tips for safe AI usage:
- You shouldn’t share your personal information.
- You shouldn’t use AI to create inappropriate content.
- AI isn’t a friend. It’s technology
She also encourages parents to talk with teachers and school administrators about any AI policies in place.
“Schools are just learning how to adopt this themselves. You need to understand if your teacher allows it, what they allow and really model that use with your student.”
Learn more about AI and find resources here:
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Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.