Discrimination in Instructional Hiring due to AI
AI promises efficiency, even in hiring teachers, but without oversight, it could quietly undermine diversity, fairness, and human judgment in the classroom.
In addition to potentially harming social interactions among students, the U.S. Department of Education warns against relying on AI for the administrative function of hiring teachers, as elaborated in the section Algorithmic Discrimination at the end of this chapter (U.S. Department of Education, 2023).
The Department stresses the importance of examining AI hiring systems to proactively prevent bias when hiring faculty. It warns that while an AI-enabled teacher hiring system might be assumed to be more objective than traditional methods involving human review, the alternative could result in the algorithm “de-prioritizing [ing] candidates who could bring both diversity and talent to a school’s teaching workforce” (U.S. Department of Education, 2023). This warning shows that despite AI’s potential for enhancing objectivity, it can also unintentionally exacerbate existing inequalities if not carefully monitored.
In their 2023 document on AI and education, the Department of Education highlights the complexity of AI technologies such as deep learning, which can be opaque and inaccessible to educators. This “black box” nature of AI systems, where users are unaware of how they are trained or what data they use, poses a challenge. The Department emphasizes the need for decision-makers to understand AI mechanisms across a range of educational scenarios to better identify potential limitations, problems, and risks.
This understanding is vital for integrating AI responsibly into educational settings and ensuring that educators can effectively blend AI tools with human judgment (U.S. Department of Education, 2023). Professional development for educators will likely need to evolve alongside technological advances, enabling them to keep pace with rapid changes impacting their profession without feeling overwhelmed. Specifically, enhanced training for teachers that is focused on AI-driven applications in education could empower teachers to effectively utilize these tools (U.S. Department of Education, 2023).
References
Carstens, A. (n.d.). Effects of technology on student learning. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810005345
Dergaa, I. (2023). From tools to threats: A reflection on the impact of artificial-intelligence chatbots on cognitive health. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2023.1234567
U.S. Department of Education. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations. Office of Educational Technology. https://www.ed.gov/AI-report