Purpose

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has the potential to further customise and personalise students’ learning, and encourage self-directed learning. It can also augment teachers’ professional practice by automating routine tasks and allowing teachers to spend more time with students and provide more complex guidance to advance learning. However, inappropriate AI use may impede the development of critical thinking skills in students or propagate misinformation.

In Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has introduced the Model AI Governance Framework to guide the responsible deployment of AI solutions. The Implementation and Self-Assessment Guide for Organisations (ISAGO) was also created to help organisations align their AI governance practices with the Model AI Governance Framework.  

Specifically, the Ministry of Education has developed the AI-in-Education (AIEd) Ethics Framework, which builds on the Model AI Governance Framework to address education-specific use and risks, and incorporates key beliefs from the Ethos of the Teaching Profession. 

The MOE AIEd Ethics Framework seeks to: 

1. Guide the safe and responsible development and governance of AIEd systems used for teaching and learning, e.g. by providing key implementation considerations to MOE HQ personnel overseeing AIEd projects and school users deploying and using AIEd systems; and

2. Ensure our AIEd practices are in alignment with our professional beliefs as expressed in our Ethos of the Teaching Profession. 

Overview

The MOE AIEd Ethics Framework outlines four principles of Agency, Inclusivity, Fairness and Safety.

Agency

AIEd systems should preserve students’ and teachers’ choice and control over important personal and professional decisions. Students should be able to decide what, when or how they wish to learn, while teachers should also be able to influence AI-supported decisions. 

How agency is practised

To allow our teachers to remain key in designing and facilitating learning experiences which cater to students’ learning needs, in line with our Singapore Curriculum Philosophy, we:

• Ensure a suitable level of human involvement in AI-supported decision-making.

• Guide teachers in exercising professional judgment on how to use AI in an educationally meaningful manner, to allow continued opportunities for the development of, and not diminishing critical competencies such as 21^st Century Competencies.

¹ The Student Learning Space (SLS) is Singapore’s national online learning platform.

Inclusivity

We believe that every child can learn and achieve. All users, regardless of background or abilities, should be able to reap the benefits of AIEd systems. 

How inclusivity is practised

To provide opportunities for all students, we:

• Enable broad access to AIEd systems for users to experience their benefits.

• Ensure that the use of AIEd systems does not disadvantage any group of students or deepen educational inequalities. 

Fairness

AIEd systems should be free from bias and be accurate. The use of AIEd systems should also be transparent (made known to users) and their outputs should be explainable (users should be able to understand why the AIEd system made a particular decision).

How fairness is practised

To equip teachers with accurate information to address students’ learning gaps and promote positive impact on students, we:

• Avoid data bias by having sufficient representative data for training of centrally deployed AIEd systems.

• Make users aware of the use of AIEd systems by being transparent.

• Communicate the reason(s) behind decisions made by AIEd systems to users.

• Ensure outputs from AIEd systems are accurate and applied within its intended purpose and context. 

Safety

Learners’ interests, privacy and well-being should be protected, and measures should be in place to ensure the safe use of AIEd systems.

How safety is practised

To fulfil our duty of care towards students and allow them to have a safe learning environment, we:

• Ensure data privacy and security.

• Have clear accountability and risk management procedures.  

• Avoid negative social and psychological effects on students and teachers.

² See usage policies or terms of service for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.

Educator Resources

Teachers who wish to learn more about the AIEd Ethics Framework to guide their use of AI for teaching and learning can access this module on SLS:

·       AIEd Ethics Primer

Teachers who are planning to deploy AIEd applications in small-scale localised trials in one or a few schools should complete the following checklist:

·        MOE Ethical AIEd Implementation Checklist (requires access to MOE Intranet)