In this week’s newsletter on artificial intelligence in education, we start with Hanne Leth Andersen's comment in Altinget. She warns that the uncritical use of AI in education can lead to a loss of subject depth and independent thinking.
At the same time, high school student Lasse Hjorth Jørgensen from Herningsholm Gymnasium calls for modernizing teaching methods and integrating AI as a natural learning tool.
Additionally, we write about:
- The Lex conference in Copenhagen on April 23 will focus on ensuring credible knowledge in an AI-driven future.
- The podcast Prompt explores how the increased use of AI weakens our critical thinking and tests Elon Musk's Grok 3 for ideological bias.
- From March 11, 2025, civil servants can apply for special funding for AI-related competency development.
At the same time, Jeppe Klitgaard Stricker is launching a new weekly English-language newsletter that gathers the most important international stories about generative AI in the education sector.
You can also dive into this week's other news, worth exploring in more detail.
Happy reading!
AI must not replace critical thinking in education
According to Hanne Leth Andersen, the principal at Roskilde University, students risk losing subject depth if they uncritically use AI to write texts and solve tasks. She warns that dependence on AI can lead to superficial knowledge and a lack of ability for independent thinking.
She also points out that society is increasingly characterized by polarization and superficial information streams, making it even more critical to strengthen students' ability to understand and interpret information.
AI should not replace independent analysis but rather serve as a supplement that supports learning.
According to Hanne Leth Andersen, Denmark should lead in an educational culture that combines technological understanding with education and subject depth.
High school student criticizes outdated teaching methods and lack of AI use
Lasse Hjorth Jørgensen, a high school student and elite swimmer at Herningsholm Gymnasium, believes that the school uses outdated teaching methods that do not reflect modern technology or the realities of the labor market. He calls for, among other things, the possibility of using music during exams and greater integration of AI in teaching and the examination system.
He compares the education system to the Industrial Revolution and emphasizes that schools should adapt to technological development. Lasse Hjorth Jørgensen himself uses AI tools like ChatGPT for idea development, feedback, and innovation and considers them natural tools—just as the calculator was in its time. He suggests that students declare how they use AI in assignments so that it does not replace independent work but serves as an aid.
The Ministry of Education's current rules prohibit the use of AI during exams, as it is not considered the student's response. At the same time, an expert group has recommended that the examination system be adjusted so that there are both tests with and without digital aids.
It is now up to individual schools to implement these recommendations.
Lasse Hjorth Jørgensen urges educational institutions to keep up with the times and take AI more seriously as a learning tool.
Behind a paywall
Conference: How do we ensure credible knowledge in an AI-driven future?
The Lex conference will again be held on April 23 in the Queen's Hall at the Royal Library in Copenhagen. It will focus on ensuring access to credible knowledge in an age of AI and personalized information streams.
The conference, organized by Lex – Denmark's National Encyclopedia in collaboration with several educational and media organizations, will address the challenges and opportunities that AI creates for information retrieval, democracy, and digital infrastructures.
Among the speakers are international and Danish experts, including Shelly Palmer, who examines AI's impact on access to knowledge, Michael Bang Petersen, who discusses the significance of digital platforms for democracy, and Anja Bechmann, who focuses on social media and information distortion.
Other topics include internet ownership, AI ethics, alternatives to Big Tech, and how we can ensure an open and democratic knowledge infrastructure.
One can participate physically or sign up to stream the event.
Podcast: Are we getting dumber from AI? New study examines the effect on critical thinking
In this week's episode of Prompt, the hosts dive into a new study from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University, which investigates how AI affects our ability for critical thinking. The study shows that the more we rely on AI, the less we activate our critical sense, especially when working in areas with limited expertise. At the same time, AI can also be a tool that supports our thinking—if used correctly.
Philosopher Thomas Telving guest stars on the program and shares his reflections on AI’s role in our thinking, referencing historical, technological advances, and philosophical perspectives.
Additionally, the hosts discuss Elon Musk's latest chatbot, Grok 3, which he claims is free from ideological bias. They test it with a so-called "woke test" to evaluate whether it differs from the approaches of other AI models on controversial topics. Grok 3 is more conservative in some respects, but in other areas, it surprisingly aligns with existing AI models like ChatGPT.
Strengthen your AI skills
The Academic, CO10, and HK State fund pools allocate special funds for AI-related competency development in government workplaces. From March 11, 2025, at 10:00, employees covered by these pools can apply for AI education and training support.
edAI Brief: A quick news overview about AI in education
Jeppe Klitgaard Stricker has launched edAI Brief, a new English-language news overview for busy education professionals. Each week, edAI Brief gathers three of the most relevant newsletters and blog posts about generative AI and education.
The format is designed for quick reading and provides a compact overview of the latest international trends.
Sign up here:
This week's other news
This article has been machine-translated into English. Therefore, the content may contain nuances or errors. The Danish version is always up-to-date and accurate.