“The notion of homework no longer has any meaning”

6 mins

AI has been around for years. But recently, generative AI has changed the situation. This new type of artificial intelligence, whose best-known avatar is ChatGPT, generates original content, and in particular texts worthy of the human pen. A boon for students. In Francein the “AI and education” report published by the Senate at the end of October, we learn that 90% of second-year high school students in Nouvelle-Aquitaine have already used AIAI generative to do their homework.

“ It is only when the AI ​​is really misused that we realize that the student has used it », Explains Fabrice Meunier, principal of Condorcet college in Paris. In particular, he recounts the astonishment of the teachers at his establishment when they discovered ChatGPT’s ability to adopt the level of expression of a 5th grade student, to blur the lines. “ In such a configuration, the notion of homework no longer has any meaning. », he warns.

Tomorrow, automated copy corrections?

Divide the correction time for each copy by ten. This is the attractive offer made by the company Compilatio to secondary and higher education teachers, thanks to its Gingo software. The teacher simply gives some correction instructions. The AI ​​takes care of the rest. “ Once you get started with the tool, there are some interesting things » confides Étienne Buffet, who participated in the testing phases. This BTS computer science teacher says he had, at times, the need to modify the correction proposed by the software. “ But the comments written by the AI ​​to explain the student’s errors are intelligible and well writtenhe adds. It saved me time “. If the software can currently only correct copies typed on a computer, the company is optimistic about its ability to process handwritten copies from the next school year.

A major challenge for national education

“ The goal is to avoid doing what we did with cell phones and social networks: missing out », explains Fabrice Meunier. At the end of last year, Gabriel Attal, then Minister of Education, announced the generalization from the start of the 2024-2025 school year of the MiaSeconde software, which offers students entering high school exercises adapted to their rate of progress. An attempt to give a place to artificial intelligence, certainly, but not yet to generative AI.

Other similar software has been developed, such as Lalilo for learning to read. “ What such tools offer is very interestingrecognizes Fabrice Meunier. But that doesn’t lead to living together. You no longer have one class, but 30 students side by side, each in their own bubble “. He also warns: “ All this can only work if, alongside, we recreate collective moments “. The report submitted to Emmanuel Macron last March takes these developments very seriously, explicitly considering “ the evolution from a “knowing” teacher (…) to a teacher “accompanying” the student “.

What do the teachers say about it?

We might as well say it right away, not all teachers are excited. “ They see AI as a gadget, and, above all, as a threat », testifies Fabrice Meunier. He himself claims to have discovered with amazement the ability of AI to do part of his work. “ The competition to become a principal is based in particular on writing a notehe explains. With ChatGPT, such an ordeal becomes obsolete. Generative AI does it faster, and sometimes even better than us! “.

And these fears, those involved in the field perceive them. A company like Compilatio is careful not to put forward the ideal of an autonomous machine which would completely correct the copies in place of the teacher. “ Gingo is not going to replace the teacher, but to accompany him » insists project manager Mélissa Toye. The stated objective is to free up time for other, less tedious educational activities. Not work less, but work better.

“Integrate AI into the work we ask of students”

Faced with a major change presented as inevitable, the ministry wants to change mentalities. Mickaël Bertrand, academic trainer on digital issues and high school teacher, talks about the speed at which his colleagues’ preconceptions are changing: “ By the end of 2023, most teachers were focused on how to prevent students from using AI. In just one year, you can see the difference. We are gradually coming to demonize this tool, to show its potential. “. Fabrice Meunier continues: “ We need to think about ways to integrate this into the work we ask of students, while ensuring that they are still stimulated.s ».

Such initiatives exist. To help his second-year students, professor Mickaël Bertrand generated via an AI review songs on different historical themes. The result is stunning. But for the moment, such educational approaches are a matter of simple individual initiative. “ On the subject of AI, we cannot consider that our ministry is behind », however, wants to temper Mickaël Bertrand, citing in particular the training offered in each establishment during the last school year. But the integration of such technologies faces certain obstacles. “ These tools, often developed by Anglo-Saxon companies, do not comply with European data protection rules. For the moment, we cannot integrate them directly into our courses. “.

The dystopia of a “school without a teacher”

Mickaël Bertrand hopes that reflection will continue on these subjects. Without rush. In the United Kingdom, the private university David Game College claims to be organizing the first “teacher-less” courses, based solely on AI. “ It’s going to be a disaster, everyone knows that » he is indignant. “ Several studies show this: when students are not supported by a teacher, they give up very quickly “.

But in the current economic context, this academic trainer fears that such developments could be introduced for the wrong reasons. “ We know that this could make it possible to reduce the workforce. It would be an attractive decision from a budgetary point of view, but a disaster in the long term for the construction of a society “. To be continued.