Youth Parliamentarians Tackle Debate on AI in the Classroom

Forty young people from secondary schools, tertiary institutions and youth groups across both Trinidad and Tobago debated the merits and pitfalls of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the education system, as part of the 2024 National Youth Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.

The sitting, held on November 25th, featured a four-hour debate on a motion which called on the government bench to create a policy that formally introduces AI as a teaching and learning tool in classrooms.

""I'm absolutely impressed with your intellectual rigour, your critical thinking and your personal engagement and passion that you have put into this exercise," UN Resident Coordinator, Joanna Kazana, declared during the prizegiving ceremony. "This well-reasoned debate and discourse on one of the most complicated and new and still emerging, defining issues of our time demonstrates remarkable talent, remarkable curiosity and tremendous preparation."

After the September 2024 Summit of the Future committed UN Member States to prioritising science, technology and innovation on the global agenda, ethical AI regulatory frameworks formally became a top priority of the international community.

This imperative, as contained in the outcome documents from the Summit - the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact  - was the spark behind the UN's collaboration with the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago for this year's National Youth Parliament.

The UN approached the Parliament with a proposal to focus this year's debate on AI in education, with an emphasis on exploration of issues of human rights, ethics, bias and the rapidly-evolving demands of employers. 

To support the youth parliamentarians with preparation for their debate, three UN entities - the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) - all conducted training sessions on AI and policymaking, ethical challenges with the use of AI and the impact of AI on the world of work. 

These insights made for recurring points of debate during the National Youth Parliament, with the youth parliamentarians exploring the way AI can support learners with special needs, and the risks and benefits of AI amplifying the capacity of teachers. Additionally, privacy issues surrounding teacher and student data and bias and discrimination in AI systems also provoked spirited debate.

"These questions are not hypothetical at all," Speaker of the House, The Honourable Bridgid Annisette-George, told the youth parliamentarians. "They are urgent, and you have engaged them."

She added that neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has ever debated a motion devoted to interrogating the rise of AI.

"You all are ahead of us," the Speaker of the House mused.

Additional support for the National Youth Parliament came from UNAIDS and the UN Resident Coordinator Office, which both provided funding for the National Youth Parliament training and prizes.