Hawaii students tackle AI in education as lawmakers stall
A legislative effort to create a task force addressing artificial intelligence in schools stalled this session, but high school and college students across Hawaii have spent the past year doing the work themselves.
Three students-Jackson Brewer from ʻIolani School, Mahealani Jackson from UH Mānoa's Shidler College of Business, and Anson Li from Kalani High School-have been meeting as part of a student hui to discuss how generative AI tools like ChatGPT are changing their education.
What students are seeing
The students shared their direct experiences with AI for Education during a public conversation in late March. Their discussions reflect a generation grappling with technology that's already embedded in their classrooms and study habits.
The hui's work comes as schools nationwide struggle to set policies around generative AI. Teachers and administrators face questions about academic integrity, while students navigate tools designed to generate text, code, and analysis in seconds.
Why this matters for educators
Student voices matter in these conversations. They use these tools daily and understand the practical realities that policy makers sometimes miss.
The failed legislative task force suggests Hawaii's education system will need to develop its own approach to AI governance. Student-led discussions like this hui's work offer one pathway forward-one that centers the people most affected by these tools.
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