The Unfolding Revolution: The Impact of AI on Science and the Educational Imperative

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a major driver of societal acceleration making a significant impact on science. AI is currently used by scientists to generate hypotheses, design experiments, collect and interpret data in ways that were not previously possible with traditional methods alone. There is an unfolding revolution about the way that scientific knowledge is generated, and the impact of AI is being felt in a broad range of sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, transport studies and urban planning. A significant shortcoming in science education research is limited understanding about how AI can be integrated in school education to achieve a renewed vision of scientific literacy that is fit for purpose not only for future scientists but also for informed citizens whose jobs will increasingly rely on AI.The emerging threat is that future generations will fall behind in knowledge and skills if they continue to be educated about a version of science suited for a time that no longer exists. In this presentation, I will illustrate how nature of science is being impacted by developments in AI and explore some implications for science education.

Sibel ERDURAN is a Professor of Science Education at the Department of Education, University of Oxford, United Kingdom where she is a Fellow of St Cross College. She is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and an Editor for the International Journal of Science Education.  She taught middle school science and high school chemistry in Cyprus. She received her BA from Northwestern University (Biochemistry), MSc from Cornell University (Food Chemistry) and PhD (Science Education & Philosophy) from Vanderbilt University, USA.
 

Supported by the GATES project (Grenoble ATtractiveness and ExcellenceS), funded by the French government's Programme d'Investissement Avenir and implemented by ANR France 2030