How Hong Kong schools are preparing students for an evolving technological landscape

South China Morning Post

6 days ago

Before ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) rose to prominence, many believed that STEM-related skills like coding and data analytics would lead to some of the safest and most lucrative career paths.
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But with artificial intelligence (AI) already capable of doing some of these jobs close to the level of a trained human professional for a fraction of the time and cost, it's possible that soft skills like creativity and communication will be the best way for students to distinguish themselves from their robot competitors.
Fortunately, Hong Kong schools are the best in the business at striking the balance between teaching soft skills and ensuring that students are tech-savvy enough to use AI tools in ways that actually improve what they've learned and can unlock new forms of creativity.
Keith Lyons, head of education technology and ICT teacher at Korean International School. Photo: Handout
'The kind of skills that we need children to learn are not the kind of skills that a computer can do better than us,' says Yat Siu, chairman of Animoca Brands and board director of the Dalton Foundation. 'Dalton's principle thinking is student-centric, which means it's more about empathy, human design and human interaction. We treat AI as tools to utilise and unlock new forms of creativity.'
Siu adds that the latest AI ed-tech tools, including AI 'agents', can provide customised tutoring options for students with autism or learning disabilities. AI agents can provide these students with learning materials and interact with them in ways suited to them. In some cases, they can even improve their social and communication skills.
Siu also mentions Khan Academy and TinyTap as examples of AI-powered education platforms that use content created by teachers and learning professionals to help students, teachers and parents learn about AI and other topics. 'If you're a teacher, you want to ensure that the content you're teaching is good, right? You're not going to let an AI take care of that,' he explains. 'So, curated content centres where you know that the content is both good and pedagogically clear will become hugely important.'
The kind of skills that we need children to learn are not the kind of skills that a computer can do better than us
Yat Siu, Dalton Foundation
A greater challenge that schools face is regulating the use of generative AI tools that can automatically produce content like essays or even songs in a matter of seconds.