Japan's elementary school kids to get AI help with summer studies

Elementary school kids in Japan are about to get a dedicated artificial intelligence tool to help them with their summer homework.

Major educational service provider Benesse Corporation will launch the free generative AI service on July 25.
It features a virtual character who can suggest project themes and ideas in response to questions.

Benesse says children need approval from a parent or guardian to use the AI, which also displays alerts if they input anything unsuitable. In addition, the number of daily queries is limited to stop students relying too much on the tech.

There have been concerns about using AI in education.

Provisional education ministry guidelines released this month say children should not submit book reports or other papers created by generative AI as their own work.

Benesse says its service is in line with the guidelines as it only provides suggestions.

A company official says the service has been developed to help children enhance their intellectual curiosity and interests in the name of a better education.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230713_15/index.html