ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - As students prepare to head back to school, the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) is getting more attention in the classrooms.

This year, the entire Dougherty County School System will be using four different types of AI software in the classroom. Eduaide, Magic School, Brisk and Diffit are the platforms teachers will use for in-class activities and lesson planning.

“We have training that we use for face-to-face with teachers. We also provide asynchronous training. They have access to us at all times, and we also a monthly newsletter that has tips and tricks for teachers to use and implement in their lesson plans,” said Amber Herring, District Coordinator of Instructional Innovation.

Herring said AI will not be used immediately at the start of the school year. She wants the teachers to first get to know their students and their capabilities before integrating artificial intelligence into the classroom.

“So it gives you an opportunity to know their voice, so you know how they write and what they sound like. So, when you see a difference in their work, it opens up the opportunity for that conversation. Students will learn just because you have access to it, doesn’t mean you should use it,” continued Herring.

Educators said their main priority is ensuring that their students know AI is a tool, similar to Google or a calculator. It’s not a means to facilitate academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

“‘Plagiarism’ is not always a black and white word. If they are leveraging AI to help them understand their work or help to them do better, that’s not plagiarism. That’s called using a tool and doing it in a way that benefits them. But if they are typing into the prompt saying, ‘write this entire essay for me,’ yeah, that’s cheating,” said fourth grade teacher, Hannah Pope.

The Dougherty County School System is currently reviewing and updating its policy manuals to ensure that new tools and resources available to students are used in ethical ways, according to a district spokesperson.

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