“The role of imparting an education that is inclusive of the human ability to make ethically and emotionally sound decisions is of unique relevance in the age of artificial intelligence”

The irreplaceable role of educators in the foreseeable future in teaching ethics and emotional intelligence at the school level is of increasing pertinence. While artificial intelligence (AI) is receiving recognition as a transformative educational tool, it has capability limitations in terms of understanding context, emotions, and ethics.

As students progress through their educational years, they need to be equipped with skills that are unique to the human lived experience and cannot be replicated with efficacy by AI. Such skills include, as outlined in a 2018 Forbes article, empathy and communication, critical thinking, creativity, strategy, imagination and vision, amongst a few others.

Notably, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mentions creativity and critical thinking, and ethics, human and Constitutional values amongst its several guiding principles. The values specified in NEP 2020 are “empathy, respect for others, cleanliness, courtesy, democratic spirit, spirit of service, respect for public property, scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and justice”. Educating young learners in ethics and values needs situational judgement, contextual analysis, and emotional skills – abilities that can be best taught by human educators in the present and near future.

Ethics through experiential learning

Ethics, by its very nature, is an applied discipline. Theoretical knowledge of ethics does not necessarily lead to ethical behaviour and practices. For instance, a student aware of the concept and requirement of ‘academic honesty’, might nevertheless cheat in an examination. An education that enables students to translate ethical awareness to ethical practice can take place through experiential learning. Artificial intelligence falls short in terms of providing students with experiential learning.

According to David A. Kolb, who is an American educational theorist, experiential learning is defined as the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation and grasping of experience. The experiential learning model is based on reflective observation and active experimentation.Further, the theory of experiential learning specifies concrete experience and abstract conceptualisation as the ways in which experience can be comprehended.

In the context of educational institutions and classrooms, these modes of concrete experience, reflection, and experimentation can facilitate the learning and practice of ethics. Educators in classrooms can make space for conversations, simulations of real-life situations, and activities on intrapersonal and interpersonal analysis to pave the way for an understanding of not just the intrinsic importance of human values, but their far-reaching implications and impact on human society. AI tools are ineffective educators in this regard.

Human rights, emotional intelligence and AI

In the context of global crises such as wars, pandemic and epidemics, and climate change, it is essential to preserve the sanctity of human rights. According to the 2021 WHO report on ethical use of artificial intelligence, “Machine learning systems could advance human rights (including the human right to health), yet could undermine core human rights standards.” The report mentions privacy, data protection, freedom of expression, equality before the law and equitable access to essential services as the rights which are relevant in the context of AI.

A regard for human rights can be built on the foundation of emotional intelligence (EI). According to Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence theory, the five components of EI are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. The ability to safeguard and uphold the values enshrined in human rights originates from empathy and compassion for fellow human beings, awareness and regulation of one’s own behaviours and emotional responses, and the capacity for healthy social interaction.

Salovey and Mayer (1990) conceptualised emotional intelligence as the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ emotions, to distinguish among them and to use the emotional awareness to guide one’s thinking and actions. Classroom practices to develop EI in young learners can include situational response discussions, modelling of appropriate emotional expression and vocabulary by the educator, and integrating creative arts such as painting, dance and music with socio-emotional instructional design.

Conclusion

In a world of rapidly evolving technologies such as AI, it is imperative to be discerning and understand the need for integrity, collective welfare and regulation. Ethics and emotional intelligence inform and strengthen this discernment and understanding. Emotional intelligence is a prerequisite for prudent and pragmatic decision-making and strategic implementation of the decisions. Ethics ensure that human actions are based on due regard for principles such as equality, liberty, justice, responsibility and collective well-being. The role of imparting an education that is inclusive of the human ability to make ethically and emotionally sound decisions is of unique relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.