The B.C. Teachers’ Federation said educators need a bigger voice in shaping artificial intelligence policies in schools, as a survey found most teachers in the province are concerned about the effects of AI use on students.
BCTF president Carole Gordon said the union’s annual survey found many teachers are using AI to help with some of their work, such as routine administrative tasks or generating lesson plans.
Some school districts have approved the use of chatbot-style AI tools like Microsoft Copilot for older students, or others that are more tailored to educators and students, like MagicSchool.
But the BCTF survey found more than 80 per cent of respondents were concerned students could become overly dependent on AI or that its use could negatively affect the development of critical-thinking skills.
Nearly four in five respondents worried AI could make it harder to assess what students truly understand.
“One of the things that the research is telling us, and it’s a global issue, is that there’s a concern that students will become dependent on AI for their text, for example, or for finding information,” said Gordon. “And so then that concern becomes, is it good information that they’re getting? Because we know that AI can have bias, can have misinformation in it.”
Gordon said teaching digital literacy around AI is important so students can use AI safely and understand its limitations.
B.C.’s Ministry of Education and Child Care released high-level guidance and resources in 2024 for school districts to develop their own policies around AI use.
The BCTF’s research shows 26 of the 60 school districts in B.C. have some kind of guidelines, policies or other resources regarding the use of AI publicly accessible on their websites.
But the union said educators are too often left out of the design and development of AI systems and policies.
“I think what we need is a table at the provincial level, and we need teachers there, the experts who are in the classroom, who are seeing the impacts on students’ learning every single day,” said Gordon.
She said governments also need to ensure that school districts and employers are properly assessing the privacy of any AI tools being used in schools, to ensure students’ data isn’t being misused.
Gordon said, while AI may be a helpful tool as many school districts see ongoing staffing shortages, it’s not a replacement for teachers.
“Our survey continues to demonstrate that things haven’t changed,” said Gordon. “Teachers are still concerned about the gap in their ability to support all students in their needs.”
