UNESCO to convene expert’s round table on opportunities and risks of generative AI for education in Asia-Pacific

The evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) from its inception in the 1950s to the present has occasioned significant changes in many disciplines, not least of all in research and education. Cloud computing, big data, and algorithmic innovation, in particular, have led to significant impacts across various domains, perhaps the most notable among such being the specific type of artificial intelligence known as ‘generative AI’, in referring to the use of AI to create new content, including audio, code, images, complex text, simulations, and videos. Generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT and Anthropic Claude—to name only two among many now entering the market—present education stakeholders in government and civil society alike with new opportunities to fundamentally reshape education systems globally by providing them with newfound powers to process information rapidly; to answer complex questions; and to provide human-like responses in all its deliverables.

However, like most new technologies, generative AI applications also imply the arrival of new kinds of risk and misuse among both educators and learners, and they raise urgent ethical concerns around issues of, for instance, academic integrity and ‘algorithmic bias’.

To better envision transformations in the future of education, and to promptly address new challenges brought on by AI’s ascendance, UNESCO has, to date, made significant contributions at the global level. For example, UNESCO has devised numerous guidelines for policy-makers and Member States, such as the open-access publication, Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education (2021), which proposes a widespread need to comprehensively evaluate the biases and blind spots of our current digital research methods from a lens of justice and equity—that is, if we are to account for what lies beyond the purview of AI and its particular kind of programming. More specifically, UNESCO has drafted a Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (2021) as well as the ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Quick Start Guide (2023) to mobilize Member States in devising a coordinated approach towards addressing the education challenges—as well as opportunities—brought on by generative AI and the ever-growing array of ‘chat’ applications available to learners and teachers. UNESCO's advocacy and consultative efforts in this area are aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) of Quality Education, which upholds the importance of providing equitable and inclusive learning opportunities through innovative technologies.

In line with UNESCO’s global guidelines, the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok (UNESCO Bangkok), in partnership with The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is organizing the regional expert’s round table, ‘Empowering Minds: A Round Table on Generative AI and Education in Asia-Pacific’. The round table seeks to explore the leveraging of opportunities and the reducing of risks that are currently presented by generative AI. Round table discussions among experts will explore, in particular, the implications of generative AI for teacher training and professional development, thus serving as an important platform to exchange ideas, experiences, and practices towards optimizing the use of generative AI towards enhancing teaching and learning for the present and the future.

This call for participants invites experts whose focus is on generative AI and education to explore generative AI's transformative role in education, its ethical dimensions, and its effective strategies so as to align AI with quality education goals.

Participants are invited to share their expertise while focusing on the following areas:

• Introduction of the current state of generative AI and implications for education in the Asia-Pacific region  
• Potential solutions and good practices on how generative AI is integrated in teaching and learning
• Benefits and risks for generative AI and education 
• Empowering educators and learners with skills and competency to integrate generative AI in teaching and learning
• Policy recommendations and future directions for inclusive and equitable access to AI in education

Experts wishing to participate in the Empowering Minds round table are kindly requested to fill in the survey. Based on an open call, UNESCO Bangkok will select up to 30 experts to participate in the meeting, and up to 6 panelists, based on the following criteria:

• Your previous experiences in generative AI and education
• Quality of your proposed contribution towards the Round Table
• Geographic representation

Selected experts should finance their travel to participate in the Round Table from 7 through 9 November 2023. Given limited funding, experts from developing countries will be given priority travel allowances by UNESCO upon request.

For inquiries, please contact Ms Faryal Khan, Ms Lingli Tang, and Ms Cai Danting, at learning.future(at)unesco.org.

The completed application must be submitted to the UNESCO Bangkok office on or before 10 September 2023, by 23.59, Bangkok time (UTC+7) - Deadline extended.

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