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Commentary: Optimising education shouldn’t be the goal of introducing AI to primary school students
SINGAPORE: The announcement that artificial intelligence will be introduced to primary school students has stirred debate among parents and educators. Earlier this year, Minister for Education Mr Desmond Lee said that from Primary 4, students may use AI tools under close supervision. The goal is for AI to function like a teacher and ask students questions, rather than spoon-feed them answers. In theory, a child having an AI tutor may not seem like a bad idea, especially if this can help with understanding difficult concepts. But as a parent of two, I wonder if accelerating children’s learning should really be the goal of education at such an early age. At an age where kids are still developing their critical thinking, resilience and character, isn’t productive struggle more important than productivity itself? GAME-CHANGING SPEED AND SIMPLICITY An AI leader I interviewed shared a parenting and teaching hack: She lets her child speak to an AI chatbot with child-safe settings in place. It can answer complex questions and random trivia that would baffle many adults. Intrigued, I tried it with my own kids. When they asked about war, scoliosis, strange bugs – I allowed AI to field a few questions in a child-friendly way. Its speed and simplicity were game-changing. After a couple of brief sessions, I realised my kids seemed to enjoy asking AI more than the people around me. When we were unsure about a Chinese question, my daughter asked if we should check with AI. Even when we ordered a printer online and could not instantly understand the manual, my kids’ first instinct was to ask AI. The problem is, learning in the real world rarely works like this. Related: Commentary: Your kids are already using AI. Are you ready to guide them? 'A double-edged sword': Why some parents have concerns about introducing AI at Primary 4 DOES LEARNING NEED TO BE OPTIMISED WITH AI? Lifelong learning always involves some level of struggling with uncertainty. Sometimes, we need to brainstorm with peers or seek guidance from mentors. And sometimes, it comes with negative feedback or rejection – things that our generation is already increasingly uncomfortable with. That is also how teachers and classroom learning have traditionally functioned. Realistically, a teacher cannot always come to students’ aid immediately, know all the answers, and ask the right questions to engage students. But over time, we learn to tolerate discomfort and ambiguity – essential for emotional resilience, independent thought, creativity and leadership. When AI generates responses in seconds and optimises pathways for learning, how might it reshape the next generation’s learning habits? Will it sabotage how children learn from their teachers and classmates, who are rarely so succinct, sycophantic or personalised? Moreover, even if AI boosts knowledge acquisition in students, wisdom is an increasingly depreciating commodity in the age of AI. As a friend and fellow parent aptly pointed out, knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is usually gained from making choices with incomplete information, making mistakes, fixing them imperfectly and living through the interim stress. We are beginning to see the impact of AI on adults already. A 2025 study found that heavy AI usage correlates with lower scores on a critical thinking test. Some people I spoke to have grown reliant on AI to decide on all kinds of matters for them, from shopping to resolving work problems and having difficult personal conversations. If adults are rewired by this technology, how much more will primary school students be affected during the critical window when they are still developing their cognitive muscles and sense of self? Related: Commentary: ChatGPT is a dangerous study aid for STEM students AI use in Singapore schools kept age-appropriate, with focus on learning, not shortcuts: Desmond Lee SPILLOVER EFFECTS OUTSIDE SCHOOL This is not to say that AI should be completely avoided in schools. We cannot ignore that children are likely already using AI tools through family accounts and shared devices, even though platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini have age restrictions. Parents and some schools are also already using AI-powered platforms such as KooBits. I have heard of kids taking screenshots of homework to ask AI for help, brainstorming with and even chatting with AI. So it is a great initiative that schools will be teaching AI safety so that children are aware of hallucination risks and data protection concerns. The Ministry of Education has also clarified that students will not be given general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, but MOE-developed tools with built-in guardrails, which is reassuring. But as a parent, I wonder if broader AI-assisted learning in school will have spillover effects in homes where AI is not used. Once children experience how quickly AI can generate ideas, scaffold arguments and provide emotional reassurance, will home use become more prevalent? Parents, already struggling to manage the impact of social media and screen time, would then need the bandwidth and capacity to guide safe AI use. A more open discussion on the implementation of AI in classrooms, the monitoring of student usage and data privacy concerns would help parents better navigate these uncharted waters. Parents are naturally feeling anxious that AI will redesign the workforce and replace jobs. In this AI arms race, some feel that teaching AI will give children a head start in this new world. However, AI-accelerated learning cannot be at the expense of the very skills that enable humans to survive, thrive and find meaning – communication, frustration tolerance, confidence and self-determination. Education, including any AI initiatives, should be designed to protect and boost these critical life skills, not bypass them. Annie Tan is a freelance writer based in Singapore.