This Week’s News: New Agreement for Danish Public Schools Introduces a New Subject
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11 min read
This article has been machine-translated into English. Therefore, there may be nuances or errors in the content. The Danish version is always up-to-date and accurate. Read the original Danish article here.
Here is a news overview rounding up the most important news on artificial intelligence and teaching from week 12.
A new agreement on the Danish primary and lower secondary school (folkeskole) has been concluded, which means that technology comprehension will be introduced as a subject in the folkeskole – perhaps not at the level many had hoped for, so we have compiled a number of links on the topic.
We are also focusing on Norway, where quite a lot is happening around artificial intelligence. There they will establish 4-6 new research centres that will work with artificial intelligence, and at the same time UiO and NORA are publishing three new Norwegian language models. This stands in stark contrast to the fact that the Minister for Digitalisation, Marie Bjerre (V), does not believe there should be investment in a Danish model.
The Aalborg Intelligence project has published new teaching materials designed to integrate artificial intelligence into mathematics teaching. The materials are tailored to enrich the existing curriculum and give students hands-on experience with AI. At the same time, Videnskab.dk has published an interesting article on intelligence and chatbots.
In the scientific corner there is room for new diffusion models that can generate images from your own drawings, and the project LATTE3D, which shows how a diffusion model can make 3D models. We also take a look at the possibilities when robots are equipped with ChatGPT, and how we can expect to interact with robots in future.
This week’s recommendations are a set of podcasts from IT-vest and radio 24syv.
Happy reading, and Happy Easter.
New folkeskole agreement with a new subject
On Tuesday 19 March, the government, together with the parties behind the cross-party agreement on the folkeskole, presented a new folkeskole agreement, and for the first time in three decades a new subject is being introduced in the folkeskole. With an investment of 160 million kroner, technology comprehension will now be a permanent part of teaching from 1st to 9th grade, both integrated into selected existing subjects and as an elective in the final years.
However, the agreement has met quite a bit of criticism, as many argue that the technology comprehension subject should have been compulsory for all pupils, not only an elective for technology-interested boys.
Below you will find a collection of articles that delve into the details of the new subject.
Where are the digital ambitions in the government’s new folkeskole agreement? - DI Digital
On Tuesday, the government and the parties behind the cross-party agreement on the folkeskole presented a new folkeskole agreement that sets the framework for the school of the future and the education of our children and young people.
Associations criticise technology comprehension as an elective: “Digital technologies are a new language”
With the new school agreement that landed yesterday, the subject of technology comprehension was introduced in the folkeskole. But it should have been in a far more integrated form, the criticism goes.
Jakob Aaberg LauridsenNew agreement on funding for technology comprehension in schools does not make the subject compulsory for all
160 million has been allocated to technology comprehension in the folkeskole in the government’s digitalisation plan. Precisely how the money should be used depends on the ongoing negotiations on the government’s folkeskole proposal.
Karen Ravn
Both teachers and students want a technology subject on a par with Danish and mathematics, but the minister rejects it
The subject of technology comprehension will soon become part of the Danish folkeskole, but according to Danmarks Lærerforening and Danske Skoleelever it will not be substantial enough.
New agreement on the folkeskole
Norway is establishing research centres focused on artificial intelligence
During 2025, Norway will take an ambitious step by establishing 4 to 6 new research centres dedicated to artificial intelligence. Oddmund Hoel, Norway’s Minister for Research and Higher Education, highlights the importance of close collaboration between educational institutions, business and the public sector. The aim is to harness the positive opportunities that the technology brings while also navigating wisely with regard to potential negative consequences.
A budget of 850 million Norwegian kroner has been set aside to fund the new research centres, with each centre able to receive an amount between 75 and 200 million Norwegian kroner over a period of at least five years.
The call for the AI billion is out
During 2025, Norway may get up to six new research centres for artificial intelligence (AI). The minister encourages cooperation between academia, business and the public sector. “Now it’s time to sign up,” says Minister Oddmund Hoel.
Published 21. Mar 2024Del.cls-1{fill:#081319;}close-smallMailTwitterFacebookLinkedInDownload
UiO and NORA release 3 new language models
As an alternative to the big tech companies’ language models, the University of Oslo (UiO), in collaboration with the national AI network NORA, has developed its own language models. The models are based on 30 billion words, including data from the Norwegian National Library. The aim is to create a national language model that more accurately reflects the Norwegian language’s nuances, culture and values. UiO also writes that it is a step towards technological sovereignty and the ability to handle sensitive data securely.
Two of the models are trained from scratch in Norwegian, while the third model is based on Mistral and subsequently fine-tuned in Norwegian.
In Denmark, the Minister for Digitalisation, Marie Bjerre (V), tells Børsen that the Danish state should not develop, own and operate its own language model.
A Norwegian answer to ChatGPT is on the way
Several new Norwegian language models have already been launched. These are not yet easy for most people to use.
Gina Aakre
norallm (Norwegian Large Language Models)
Large Language Models
This week’s news
In a secret location in Denmark, one of the world’s most powerful computers is being installed – what can it do?
Read more here.
Philip Sune Dam
A teacher doesn’t trust her students, but she doesn’t know what to do
An upper secondary school (gymnasium) teacher fears that her students are using ChatGPT to complete their assignments. Her lack of trust in them upsets her.
Benjamin Lillelund
Why I don’t want to use ChatGPT | Version2
Generative language models, in particular ChatGPT, have been on many people’s lips and filled many column inches since OpenAI launched the first version just over a year ago. One of the big topics of debate has been how educational institutions deal with exams when ChatGPT apparently…
Elisa Nadire Caeli
Researchers warn of danger, call for pause in bringing AI to schools
K-12 schools across the country are increasingly integrating AI tools into the classroom. CU Boulder’s Alex Molnar gives his take on why these tools could pose risks for students, and what concerned parents and more can do about it.
Daniel Strain
xAI open-sources base model of Grok, but without any training code | TechCrunch
Elon Musk’s xAI has open-sourced the base code of Grok AI model, but without any training code.
Ivan Mehta
Gymnasieskolernes Lærerforening (the Danish Union of Upper Secondary School Teachers): Artificial intelligence is shaking the education sector
Gymnasieskolernes Lærerforening: Artificial intelligence is shaking the education sector
Tomas Kepler, chair, Gymnasieskolernes Lærerforening
AI - Aalborg Intelligence: Teaching materials with AI and mathematics
If you are looking for teaching units that combine mathematics and AI, Aalborg Universitet (Aalborg University) offers a new resource site that is regularly updated with new material. The project is funded with support from Novo Nordisk Fonden (the Novo Nordisk Foundation) and is anchored at Institut for Matematiske Fag (Department of Mathematical Sciences) at Aalborg Universitet (AAU). At the same time, the project is a collaboration with the five gymnasiums in Aalborg and will continue until 2026.
Read more on their website.
AI - Aalborg Intelligence
Videnskab.dk: Chatbots are not as intelligent as they appear
Luís Cruz-Filipe, associate professor and programme lead in artificial intelligence at Syddansk Universitet (University of Southern Denmark), has written an article for Videnskab.dk focusing on generative AI such as ChatGPT and MidJourney. Here he explains that these AI programs learn through examples without understanding the language or the images they create. However, the models lack a fundamental understanding of the material they work with and resemble parrots that repeat words without understanding them.
In the article, he argues that the future of artificial intelligence may lie in a hybrid approach that combines machine learning with symbolic AI, which is able to understand and interact with the world in a more meaningful way.
The article provides a good insight into where artificial intelligence stands right now, as well as the need for responsible use and further development of the technology.
Chatbots are not as intelligent as they appear
AI programs such as ChatGPT are like parrots that repeat words without understanding them.
See Luís’ profile
Scientific articles
Below, we select articles or tools that take a slightly more scientific perspective. These are pieces we read ourselves to stay up to date, and we also know that this is not especially interesting for most people.
img2img-turbo
Current diffusion models are slow to generate images because of the denoising process, but in the img2img-turbo project you can generate images using a prompt and your own drawings. What is interesting here is the speed at which images can be generated, and the new method for producing one-step, realistic image transformations.
The model can be tested on Hugging Face.
GitHub - GaParmar/img2img-turbo: One-step image-to-image with Stable Diffusion turbo: sketch2image, day2night, and more
One-step image-to-image with Stable Diffusion turbo: sketch2image, day2night, and more - GaParmar/img2img-turbo
GaParmarImg2img Turbo Sketch - a Hugging Face Space by gparmar
Discover amazing ML apps made by the community
LATTE3D - 3D models in under a second
LATTE3D is a new technology from Nvidia that transforms text into 3D models in 400 milliseconds—something that previously could take an hour. At the same time, the generated models are also sharper and more detailed compared with the earlier model ATT3D.
At the moment it is solely a proof of concept, and Nvidia has not released the code, and the model has been trained only on animals and everyday objects. But it offers a glimpse of what professionals working with 3D can expect in the near future.
Watch the video below, and read more on Nvidia’s website.
LATTE3D
The robots are coming!
OpenAI has teamed up with the company Figure to develop a robot called Figure 01, which can speak and be used at home in everyday life. The robot can analyse images, text and voices, which means it can operate autonomously in the real world—something that is otherwise difficult because of the complexity.
The project is financially supported by Jeff Bezos (Amazon), OpenAI and Nvidia and is expected to accelerate the development of humanoid robots. Before you order the robot to take over your teaching, note that the price of the robot’s components can range from DKK 200,000 to 1,000,000 per unit.
Below is a video where the company presents the robot’s capabilities.
Figure
Figure is the first-of-its-kind AI robotics company bringing a general purpose humanoid to life.
This week’s recommendations
This week we are focusing on podcasts, and we recommend listening to the excellent podcasts from IT-vest, which focus on computational methods. In the two episodes we link to below, they visit the MASSHINE network at Aalborg Universitet (Aalborg University).
We also think the podcast Fremtidens forskning - VidensGab is interesting; the programme explores AI’s role in the future of research.
Researchers in the machine – the MASSHINE network with a focus on computational methods
MASSHINE is an inspirational community at Aalborg Universitet that serves as a network for researchers at Det Humanistiske og Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet (SSH, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), who in various ways use computational methods or have computational phenomena as their field of research.
Episode 33: Researchers in the machine – the MASSHINE network focusing on computational methods
Listen to IT-vest’s podcast about how Aalborg Universitet has created a network for researchers working with computational methods in the humanities and social sciences. Host: Anders Høeg Nissen.
Episode 34: AI translation, patent mapping and old newspapers – researchers with computational tools
Listen to IT-vest’s podcast about how researchers at Aalborg Universitet’s Humanistiske og Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet work at the intersection of disciplines and computational methods. Host: Anders Høeg Nissen.
Fremtidens forskning - VidensGab
In the podcast from 24-7, they discuss how digitalisation and artificial intelligence are transforming research and the medical field. Science journalist Lone Frank is a guest and talks about radical improvements in research methods towards 2050, when AI will be able to carry out and analyse complex data and experiments independently.
They also discuss how technology is democratising research practice through ‘citizen science’, where ordinary people contribute to scientific data collection.
Supertrends: Fremtidens forskning - VidensGab
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Written by
MSc in IT | Co-founder of Viden.AI | Head of IT and Communications at TietgenSkolen
