The reality about AI is that it’s already in our students’ lives, it’s here to stay, and it’s only going to further permeate our society in the future. While some educators are trying to avoid it for as long as possible, the more responsible course is to learn as much about it and how to help students use it wisely. There are dangers that come with using AI, which is one of the main reasons why helping students to develop ethical AI habits in school is a far better approach than prohibiting it. In terms of college and career readiness, AI literacy is quickly becoming the standard in many industries with an expectation that students know how to use it by the time they enroll in a 2- or 4-year program. 

In fact, some colleges provide students with the Plus version of ChatGPT, for example, with little-to-no training because they either assume that students understand how to use it already, or they trust that students will figure it out. Either way, the deeper the knowledge and expertise that students gain about AI prior to reaching for their postsecondary goals, the more of an advantage they’ll have over the competition. If it hasn’t happened already, AI literacy will quickly become a new indicator of success for college and career readiness, showing up on portrait of a graduate documents and other aspects of school and district graduation requirements.  

A.I.M. is a framework that we developed to help educators approach AI when working with students. Counselors may use AI for career planning, teachers are likely to use AI for feedback on student work, and students are already using AI to help with everything from essay writing to complex problem solving. A.I.M. breaks down AI literacy into three primary principles–Awareness, Integrity, Mindset. Let’s dive deeper into each of the principles, starting with Awareness. 

AI Awareness

The core of this principle is simple: students can’t use AI ethically if they don’t understand what it is, how it works, and where its limitations exist. Not only do students need to know which AI tools are intended for specific applications, they need to know that human judgment still matters. Because AI includes bias, it can hallucinate, and it often produces inaccurate responses, students need to be aware of the responsibility for fact-checking and critiquing its answers rather than blindly accepting them. 

As AI literacy becomes as important as digital literacy, students should also be aware of the implications of AI use in their future. College students will be expected to use AI responsibly for research, writing, and problem solving. Many professions will require employees to be able to evaluate AI-generated information and collaborate with AI tools to produce outcomes, including new products and services. AI awareness is about discernment; discernment creates responsible AI users. 

AI Integrity 

Ethical AI use is rooted in honesty, transparency, and ownership of ideas and learning. While educators should promote ethical use of AI, we have to move beyond just saying “don’t cheat” as the mantra. Integrity includes academic honesty as well as protecting individual and company privacy and personal information. Students must learn how to be transparent with their use of AI and use it as a tool to support authenticity. In other words, institutes of higher education and future career fields will expect current students to be versed in the use of AI, but they’ll still require critical thinking, subject matter expertise, and original ideas. 

When students act with integrity, they learn to ask practical questions, such as “when is the support of AI appropriate? And, “what level of disclosure is necessary in this situation?” Students who become too dependent on AI for answers and ideas will lose their ability to demonstrate originality and judgement–skills that have always provided an edge for those who have them. While AI might seem like the most efficient choice, in some cases it will diminish a student’s voice and personality. Experts in AI won’t use it to be creative, they’ll use it to become more creative. A simple habit that supports integrity and the ethical use of AI is to use prompts with it, such as “please don’t simply agree with me here” and “challenging my thinking on this rather than affirm it.” This alters the notion that AI will do things for me to the mindset that AI is a companion to push my thinking and produce better results, which brings us to the final principle in the A.I.M. model. 

AI Mindset

We’ve all heard people with the mentality that they’re “not good with technology.” We’re cruising toward a time when that sentiment will be unacceptable, especially in the world of work and the continuous evolution of AI. The mindset, instead, has to be about adaptability and lifelong learning. Students should be communicating their ability to use AI intelligently while preserving a human-centered approach to relationships and leadership. The goal is not to compete with what AI can do; it’s to learn how to use AI effectively and to develop the uniquely human skills that AI cannot replace. 

There’s a careful nuance with this principle. The right mindset elevates AI as a tool–with expertise in using it as imperative to have for future jobs–and, at the same time, recognizing the importance of growing our capacity to do what it can’t. In an AI-driven world, certain human constructs, including decision-making, judgement, relationship-building, and leadership–become even more valuable. As everyone becomes more technical in their understanding and usage of AI, the future belongs to those who do that and learn more about bringing people together to do things that machines can’t. 

Conclusion 

The A.I.M. framework is meant to support educators and school systems as we continue to help students develop ethical AI habits as learners and future contributors to society. Awareness helps students to understand AI more critically and benefit from its power. Focusing on the Integrity principle ensures that students use AI ethically and responsibly. Having an AI mindset prepares students to leave and thrive in a changing world. Schools have a distinct opportunity to move beyond fear and create a generation of leaders who use AI ethically, intellectually, and purposefully in college, career, and life. 

AI didn’t write this blog, and we don’t generally use AI to produce content at MaiaLearning, but AI was used to support and challenge the ideas for this blog in just the way that we outline above. If you want to learn more about how AI can support college and career readiness, schedule time with one of our thought leaders today. You have 30 free minutes of consultation on us.