Parents Raise Concerns Over South Korea’s New AI Textbook Initiative

Parents in South Korea are worried about the government’s plan to give schools AI-powered textbooks, saying they think it will hurt their kids’ health and development.

According to the FT, some parents are concerned about the South Korean government’s plans to introduce tablets with AI-powered textbooks into classrooms. Starting next year, teachers should use these AI textbooks for all subjects, except music, art, PE, and ethics.

The government has only stated that the material will adapt to varying learning speeds and that teachers will utilize dashboards to monitor student progress.

Because of this, more than 50,000 parents have signed a petition asking the government to pay less attention to new technology and more attention to students’ overall health and safety.

“As parents, we are already experiencing many problems at unprecedented levels arising from our children’s exposure to digital devices.”

A mother of two named Lee Sun-youn told the FT, “I worry that too much use of digital devices could hurt their brain development, ability to focus, and ability to solve problems. They already use their phones and tablets too much.”