Artificial Intelligence could reshape education in South Florida
MIAMI - As G7 Summit leaders prepared to discuss managing artificial intelligence data, developers think generative AI could reshape education in South Florida.
"If low-income and low-resource areas don't jump on this, the achievement gap is going to get so much bigger," Stephanie Sylvestre, Co-Founder of Avatar Buddy, said.
A former IT guru for Subway and Burger King, Sylvestre bet her career on generative AI. Her company's app offers uses self-help. One of their targets is children with no means for tutors. It answers texts requesting help writing paragraphs. It also can show students steps to solve math equations.
Other more well-known programs can do the same. The apps also offer important emotional support, Sylvestre said.
"Imagine if you go take a test and you failed," she said. "You go oh man I suck and you're talking to (the app). It will say no you don't suck. Everybody makes mistakes. It's just kind of like positive reinforcement that sometimes people don't have because they're parents are too busy just trying to make ends meet. Open AI sells ChatGPT for $20 a month. That's a very reasonable price. If you were to go hire a tutor or personal coach, $20 might get you about 15 minutes.
Those studying AI at Miami Dade College and the University of Miami see risks too. David Chapman, a computer science professor at UM, said people who refuse to become fluent with AI's usage could suffer.
"You risk being left behind," he said. "From now on, it's going to be part of our lives and it can make people more effective at what they do."
It also invites trouble, developers said. Without international regulations, cross-border data security is on the table for discussion by leaders at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
With the AI chats on apps, privacy is no small concern either.
"If people are typing into those models, who owns those conversations," Chapman asked. "Who has access to that conversation? "
Sylvestre said her company's products mitigate privacy concerns by allowing users to delete chat histories. However, the future is their focus and they see no reason to change course.