Pause AI in BC Schools

@aicaution.ca

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We are PACES: Vancouver - Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces, a group of parents concerned by the effects of GenAI+chatbots on students. https://aicaution.ca/ Follows are not endorsements.

COPE Supports a Pause on AI COPE has provided us with the following statement regarding their stance on AI in schools. - COPE is opposed to the 2026 spring implementation of Microsoft Copilot at VSB, including the use of GenAI and chatbots in Vancouver schools. - COPE will put a pause on the use of GenAI and chatbots. - COPE will engage and consult with stakeholders and the broader community to implement a technology audit with a specific focus on the use of AI in schools. - COPE will engage and consult with stakeholders and the broader community to create VSB policies and procedures to address the concerns below: - Safety and privacy for students - Impact of AI usage on learning outcomes - Impact of AI usage on student mental health - Equity of technology resources - Need for transparent and robust consultation with stakeholders and community on AI usage and adoption in schools. - Impact on the use of and validity of results when AI is used for public engagement and consultation. - Impact on climate and the environment of AI usage and adoption - Lack of student AI usage policies and procedures - Lack of staff AI usage policies and procedures - VSB practises potentially in conflict with proposed Federal Bill C-34, The Safe Social Media Act
Hand drawn poster showing a single raised fist in front of a crowd with signs outside Vancouver City Hall. One sign says "Say no to AI data centres in Vancouver". Another reads "Vancouver Art Gallery to Vancouver City Hall, Sunday July 26 @ 1pm"
Government is responsible for ensuring that all of our youth have the opportunity to obtain high quality schooling that will assist in the development of an educated society. To this end, schools in the province assist in the development of citizens who are: • thoughtful, able to learn and to think critically, and who can communicate information from a broad knowledge base; • creative, flexible, self-motivated and who have a positive self image; • capable of making independent decisions; • skilled and who can contribute to society generally, including the world of work; • productive, who gain satisfaction through achievement and who strive for physical well being; • cooperative, principled and respectful of others regardless of differences; • aware of the rights and prepared to exercise the responsibilities of an individual within the family, the community, Canada, and the world
Photo of a poster on a streetlight. Poster reads "pause air in BC schools". In the background is an CBC Vancouver office.
Advert for an electric toothbrush. Headline says "The revolutionary Genius X with artificial intelligence"
Five-by-five bingo card. Squares from top-left to bottom-right, row by row are: - Check! "Learn to fact-check" - "Don't want kids to fall behind" - Check! Guest speaker works for AI - Conflates research AI and chatbots - "Thought partner" - "We all use AI" - "But the calculator!" - Mentions safety, guardrails - Check! "Critical thinking skills" - "But {country} is doing it!" - Check! "Training for the workplace" - Doesn't mention mental health - Check! "AI is inevitable" - "Excited to see what students do with it" - Check! "Efficiency" - Check! "AI is the future" - "Coding" - "Keeps students engaged" - "Democratizing creativity" - Check! "Kids use it at home anyway" - "Cognitive offloading" but recommends AI anyway - "Helps with ideas" - "Teach them to use it ethically" - Calls tech from 10 years ago "AI" - Check! Doesn't mention environmental impact
Collage of scientific papers and article headlines with some parts highlighted. Headline: Is AI Ruining our skills? Early results are in - and they're not good. From the same article: "Spoiled by AI? A study of physicians in Poland who specialize in endoscopy — the use of flexible probes to examine the inside of the human body — shows how quickly AI tools can erode human abilities. The physicians, who had all performed at least 2,000 colonoscopies during their careers, were given access to an AI system that analyses colonoscopy images in real time and flags a type of precancerous intestinal lesion called an adenoma. The tool was available to the specialists on some days but not on others. Once physicians began using it, their performance dropped significantly whenever the system was unavailable. During the three-month period before the AI tool was introduced, the specialists found at least one adenoma during 28.4% of colonoscopies. During the three-month period after the tool was introduced, the adenoma detection rate for colonoscopies performed without AI assistance decreased to 22.4%." Another paper is titled: "The Generative AI Learning Penalty: Evidence from Chinese Secondary Education"
Hand-made signs reading "Families say no to AI data centres", "Pause AI in BC schools"
Say no to AI data centres tomorrow! 1pm starting at the art gallery, going to city hall.
Screenshot from the article author's site. AI-generated images are captioned with "chat with Socrates", "chat with Darwin" etc including other famous people from history
Topics 1. Harnessing the Potential of ChatGPT: Introduces Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, and guides students on their responsible use. 2. AI in the Real World: Examines the societal impacts of AI, encouraging critical thinking about AI and broader technological advancements. 3. Careers Reimagined: Explores the impact of AI on various industries and the career pathways it creates. 4. Computer Science in the Age of AI: Builds AI competency within the Computer Science Program of Studies through projects and interactive learning. 5. AI for the Elementary Classroom: Designed to support elementary teachers in introducing students to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and, more specifically, generative AI (GenAI). 6. Ethics and Safety: Designed to support elementary teachers in introducing students to the ethical considerations and safety practices related to artificial intelligence (AI). 7. AI in Junior High: Designed to support junior high teachers in introducing students to the foundational concepts and real-world applications of artificial intelligence (AI).
Two posters are visible on a lamppost in a city environment. One reads "Say no to AI data centres, June 27, 1pm, Vancouver art gallery". The poster is covered with cute hand-drawn characters. Another poster below it says " We need a pause on AI in schools."
Portrait of Habsburg family member with extremely prominent chin.
Screenshot of podcast player "AI for Educators" by Dan Fitzpatrick The episode title is "AI Vaccine Design: First Human Trials, Future Healthcare"
Five-by-five bingo card. Squares from top-left to bottom-right, row by row are: - "Learn to fact-check" - "Don't want kids to fall behind" - Guest speaker works for AI - Conflates research AI and chatbots - "Thought partner" - "We all use AI" - "But the calculator!" - Mentions safety, guardrails - "Critical thinking skills" - "But {country} is doing it!" - "Training for the workplace" - Doesnt mention mental health - "AI is inevitable" - "Excited to see what students do with it" - "Efficiency" - "AI is the future" - "Coding" - "Keeps students engaged" - "Democratizing creativity" - "Kids use it at home anyway" - "Cognitive offloading" but recommends AI anyway - "Helps with ideas" - "Teach them to use it ethically" - Calls tech from 10 years ago "AI" - Doesn't mention environmental impact
A tall poster with the heading "We need a pause on AI in schools". Below it reads "Students that use AI remember less and understand less" The word "that" is crossed out in red and corrected with "who".
Finding 3: Engagement by design, scaled with AI 3A. Interactivity - Many Spaces use AI to bring new forms of fun into the learning experience, engagement patterns that would be difficult to scale in a traditional classroom. A notable portion of the Spaces added a level of fun. Overall, about 1/3 of all Spaces presented language like, “playful,” “cool,” and “exciting.” Leveraging AI, teachers designed Spaces where Dot played another character to be interviewed, brought science experiments to life through simulations, and redefined what a quiz could be by upleveling it into game scenarios. Overall, about 1/3 of all Spaces presented language like, “playful,” “cool,” and “exciting.”
Table of data titled Bloom’s Taxonomy Columns are name, N and percentage. Data reads: Remember 7,982 33.5% Understand 17,508 73.4% Apply 10,641 44.6% Analyze 14,152 59.4% Evaluate 13,810 57.9% Create 8,912 37.4% Unclassified 1,821 7.6%
A stall at a farmers' market. In the foreground many postcards hang from pegs strung across the entrance to the stall. A table with markers, flowers and a big sheet of paper is at the bottom. "We need a pause on AI" poster is visible.
Speech bubble with the quote text "As parents and educators, our goal is not to reject AI but to help our children thrive in harmony with it." - Dr Shimi Kang, Psychiatrist & Author
Flow diagram. There's an oval at the top with "AI is inevitable". Coming out of it is an arrow labelled "So..." that leads to another oval labelled "We must put it in classrooms". Coming out of this oval is another arrow, also labelled "So..." which curiously leads back to the first oval. Creating a sort of circle-ish diagram.
Five-by-five bingo card. Squares from top-left to bottom-right, row by row are: - "Learn to fact-check" - "Don't want kids to fall behind" - Guest speaker works for AI - Conflates research AI and chatbots - "Thought partner" - "We all use AI" - "But the calculator!" - Mentions safety, guardrails - "Critical thinking skills" - "But {country} is doing it!" - "Training for the workplace" - Doesnt mention mental health - "AI is inevitable" - "Excited to see what students do with it" - "Efficiency" - "AI is the future" - "Coding" - "Keeps students engaged" - "Democratizing creativity" - "Kids use it at home anyway" - "Cognitive offloading" but recommends AI anyway - "Helps with ideas" - "Teach them to use it ethically" - Calls tech from 10 years ago "AI" - Doesn't mention environmental impact
Computer interface showing "New chat" tab selected on the left, and in the main panel a title "What can I help with?" and a text box below it with "Message Copilot"
Some examples of students’ learning with AI and digital tools include: Protecting personal privacy when using AI Creating effective prompts to achieve desired results Using Copilot 13+ as a tutor or guide, to explain concepts deeply Fact-checking or researching Analyzing large data sets
Many origami cats with cute hand-drawn faces are lying on a wood floor. "Take paws on AI" is written on popsicle sticks. A child's arm is holding one of the popsicle sticks.
Poster reads "Say NO to AI data centres in Vancouver. Protest march May 23rd at 1pm starting at Waterfront Station"
Poster on a lamp post with a street behind it. Poster says "We need a pause on AI in schools"
Poster that reads "We need a pause on AI in schools" in large text. Underneath "Join us in demanding a two-year pause on AI in BC schools" with a QR code that links to aicaution.ca/petition
Photo of poster reading "We need a pause on AI in schools" on a lamppost in Vancouver. In the background is a building with a sign reading "CBC Vancouver"
Photo of a poster on a lamp post. Poster reads "We need a pause on AI in schools."
The Chromebooks, which the students use in every class and for homework, came pre-installed with an all-ages version of Gemini, a suite of A.I. tools. When my daughter, who is in sixth grade, begins writing an essay, she gets a prompt: “Help me write.” If she is starting work on a slide-show presentation, the prompt is “Help me visualize.” She shoos away these interruptions, but they persist: “Help me edit.” “Beautify this slide.” The image generator is there, if she’d ever wish to pull the plug on her imagination. The Gemini chatbot is there, if she ever wants to talk to no one.
Screenshot of Ethan Mollick profile on Bluesky, showing "User Blocking You"
Screenshot of email, text reads: Hi Zhi, Thank you, but I think we have got our wires crossed somewhere. I'm interested in peer-reviewed scientific research on the effects of AI on education, and which of those VSB are consulting when making their decisions. This UBC website not have any scientific papers that cover the effects of AI on learning, and does not list any researchers at UBC who are studying that. They are just guidelines for how to implement AI usage. What evidence is VSB using to decide that AI is a good thing to make available to students? Thank you, Ben
poorly-made line graph with "time" on x axis, "mental health of users" on the y axis. mental health of users goes down with time. the labels are in comic sans.
A set of 4 graphs showing how many students in different groups got different test scores using different tools. Students in group 1 using just AI, got an average of around 45% Students in group 1 using just notes, got an average of around 60%, visibly higher than the AI-only group. Students in group 2 that just used AI performed roughly the same as those in group 1. Students in group 2 that used AI and notes did slightly better, but not as well as students that just took notes.
“Students must learn to critically evaluate AI output” Students cannot critique what they don’t know AI’s problem of “hallucination”, or creating false information, is a well-known problem with generative AI. Proponents of AI try to re-frame this problem by saying students should “critically evaluate” anything created by AI tools. If a student is learning about something for the first time, it is not possible for them to evaluate whether something is true or false.
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Screenshot of website for Microsoft Reflect. Text reads: Microsoft Reflect A wellbeing app to support connection, expression, and learning With icons below: (Unicorn icon) Build Self-Awareness & Empathy. (Heart icon) Grow Emotional Vocabulary. (Compass icon) Identify & Navigate Your Emotions. (Rocket icon) Develop Growth-mindset & Confidence.
Photo of a poster with the quote "The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits".