It Takes a Village to Raise GenAI: Exploring GenAI’s Impacts on Education and Research

The 2024 ACUNS Annual Meeting, cohosted at the United Nations University and the University of Tokyo, convened from June 20-22 to address the theme “Global Governance and Sustainable Development: Revitalizing Research to Support Multilateral Solutions.” The meeting encompassed numerous sessions exploring different aspects of the theme, including a roundtable entitled “It Takes a Village to Raise GenAI: Exploring GenAI’s Impacts on Education and Research.”

Chaired by Jingbo Huang (UNU Macau), the session featured a panel of experts, including Francesco Foghetti (UNU Centre), Jonghwi Park (UNU-IAS), Mark Ray and Stephen Ta’Bois (Government of Cayman Islands), and Antonios Saravanos (New York University). 

This blog post highlights the key insights from the session and serves as the first in a series featuring inputs from the panelists. Speaking from their varied perspectives relating to instructional, technological and policy-related domains, the panelists discussed the benefits and challenges of GenAI for students, educators and additional educational stakeholders, as well as the implications of the technology in shaping policy development. Several overarching themes emerged from the panel discussion. 

GenAI can provide substantial support to students over a range of applications and uses. Through the provision of structure, specialization and scaffolding for learning, the technology has enormous potential for students in varied environments and circumstances. Students can use the technology to generate content as a foundation for their assignments and augment their academic output. Those who benefit from differentiated learning styles, alternative pacing for instruction, or additional educational hours can access individualized instructional models, while those in lower-income countries, who may be prevented from accessing conventional education, can participate in tutoring and other personalized digital platforms. 

Educators can incorporate GenAI into multiple professional domains relating to planning, instruction and research. Utilizing GenAI in the creation of preparation materials and lesson plans can save educators valuable time. GenAI can furthermore enhance professional development, introducing educators to novel teaching methods as well as keeping them informed as new advancements, practices and research emerge in their fields. Educators supporting students with a variety of learning styles can employ GenAI for the development of differentiated instructional models.

GenAI offers wide-reaching applications for policy makers, in particular as the scope of the technology expands. On national and international levels, policy makers can incorporate GenAI technology to provide support to a wider range of students, educators and related stakeholders. This reach can have particular significance for underserved and/or remote populations. GenAI can also support policy makers through the production of synthetic data for areas that pose difficulties in compiling or accessing accurate information.

Significant challenges have accompanied the advancement of GenAI, and stakeholders must continue to identify and counter issues as they arise. Students with limited or no access to technology, and those with weaker engagement links, may find themselves left even farther behind educationally as the technological gap widens. The use of GenAI already poses ethical and legal questions related to ownership, privacy, security, data protection and human rights, and addressing these questions will become increasingly critical as technology advances. Legal and policy implementation will have to rapidly adapt and respond to technological change. Furthermore, the susceptibility of GenAI to create “hallucinations,” or false or misleading information, poses risks on many levels. Students and educators must be cautious of erroneously including inaccuracies in their work, and widespread misinformation has the potential to negatively influence public opinion and policy decisions. 

Awareness of these challenges, accompanied by sustained multi-stakeholder communication, can lead the drive towards adaptive, effective solutions to issues as they arise. Collaboration across sectors is, and will continue to be, an essential component of supporting GenAI integration in education and research.