In the age of artificial intelligence (AI) in which robots can write news reports and legal, securities and investment articles as professionally as humans can, will AI have an impact on how writing and composition are taught in high schools, and how the education circle responds to the changes brought on by robots?

Experts in education and journalism shared their viewpoints on the topic at a project proposal meeting themed “The Research on the Training System of Chinese Students’ Effective Writing in the Age of AI” held recently.

Senior media expert Lan Suoluo said, “AI is bound to have an impact on education, which will force schools to improve the quality of their curriculum. Imitative writing and exam-oriented compositions will be outdated and eventually be eliminated.”

Lan added that writing robots mainly copy the style of humans’ articles based on the phrases, sentence patterns and paragraphs in databases. As a result, if students are taught imitative or dogmatic writing, they will be no match for robots as robots are adept at deep learning and imitation.

To cope with the threats posed by robots, Shenzhen has mapped out a five-year plan for AI development involving the construction of pilot schools for AI education. Last April, prominent teachers in Shanghai compiled the world’s first textbook on AI and 40 schools in China became the first batch of experimental schools for AI education.

Despite the challenges, Lan believes humans will not be surpassed and replaced by robots in fields involving personalized writing, imagination, creativity, emotions and sympathy.

After the project is carried out, it will be implemented in a dozen of schools in China. As a result, conventional Chinese teaching methods and composition training approaches will be changed, which will also promote the construction of pilot schools for AI education and help fundamental education better keep pace with emerging technologies.

(Yang Mei)