Basic Education in the AI Era: Text-Based Rote Learning Is Not Enough

[Family passage omitted] First, as AI rapidly becomes part of everyday life, I think the most basic education must change too. ChatGPT learns information from around the world through immense quantities of text. If Taiwan’s basic education still force-feeds children knowledge through large volumes of text in the old rote-learning style, I worry. Using the same rote-learning approach, you cannot possibly beat ChatGPT; AI could replace you at any moment in the future. Education about and understanding of AI must not wait until university. The government may be investing heavily in higher education and industry, but with the AI wave, I think education starting in primary school matters more. Move beyond one-dimensional text-based rote learning and guide children toward a more rounded understanding of the world. I hope the Ministry of Education will reconsider how to develop the talent the future needs: helping children in Taiwan enjoy learning, learn in diverse ways, explore independently, and build coherent systems of thought and frameworks of values.