Navigating the ethical landscape of AI in the classroom

Navigating the ethical landscape of AI in the classroom

Navigating the ethical landscape of AI in the classroom
In a city where diversity is celebrated, algorithms wield the power to shape the future of entire generations. (Shutterstock)
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In the sprawling metropolis of Techville, a peculiar dance between man and machine unfolds on a daily basis. At the heart of this intricate waltz lies the enigmatic realm of artificial intelligence, where lines blur between what is programmed and what is ethical.

As Techville’s denizens grapple with the moral maze of AI, one question looms larger than a server farm: Can we trust our silicon-based overlords to play nice?

In the bustling corridors of Techville’s cutting-edge research labs, AI algorithms are crafted with the precision of a master chef concocting the perfect recipe. Yet, in this quest for digital nirvana, mishaps are as common as bugs in beta software. One particularly contentious issue revolves around the integration of AI into higher education.

Proponents argue that AI can revolutionize learning, offering personalized curriculums tailored to each student’s unique needs. With the right algorithm, even the most disinterested students might find themselves captivated by quadratic equations or the intricacies of Shakespearean sonnets.

But hold your horses, dear reader, for not all is sunshine and rainbows in the land of AI education. Critics raise the alarm about the inherent biases lurking within these digital tutors. In Techville’s institutions of higher learning, where textbooks are replaced with tablets and lectures are live streamed in virtual reality, a battle rages.

As the philosopher Plato once opined: “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.” But when that direction is skewed by the biases of algorithms and data sets, does the road to enlightenment lead to a dead end?

Consider the case of AI-powered grading systems, touted as the saviors of overwhelmed professors drowning in a sea of term papers. Yet, beneath the veneer of efficiency lies a Pandora’s box of biases, where zip codes and surnames become the unwitting judges of academic merit.

Picture this: You are a bright-eyed student, eager to soak up the wisdom of the ages in the hallowed halls of higher education. But wait, there is a twist. Your professors are not flesh and blood; they are algorithms, programmed to teach, grade and occasionally crack a digital joke.

In the immortal words of Socrates: “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” But when that flame is fueled by data sets riddled with societal prejudices, who gets burned in the end?

Beneath the veneer of efficiency lies a Pandora’s box of biases, where zip codes and surnames become the unwitting judges of academic merit.

Rafael Hernandez de Santiago

As the brightest minds converge in pursuit of knowledge and innovation, the specter of bias casts a long shadow over higher education. In the famous words of Aristotle: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” But when the heart of AI algorithms beats to the rhythm of societal prejudices, what becomes of the pursuit of truth?

Take, for instance, the case of admissions algorithms tasked with selecting the next generation of Techville students. In a city where diversity is celebrated, these algorithms wield the power to shape the future of entire generations. Yet, in their quest for efficiency, they often fall prey to the very biases they were designed to mitigate.

In the case of AI-powered hiring algorithms designed to sift through resumes with impartiality, beneath the surface lies a labyrinth of biases, where again names, genders and zip codes become weighted variables in an algorithmic equation gone awry. But when those individuals are reduced to mere data points in an AI calculation, what becomes of meritocracy?

In a city where innovation often outpaces introspection, courage may be the rarest commodity of all. As Techville marches boldly into the future, one line of code at a time, the question remains: Will AI be our salvation or our undoing? In this grand theater, where innovation and ethics engage in a perpetual pas de deux, the only certainty is uncertainty itself.

As the wise Islamic philosopher Ibn Khaldun once stated: “The world of today is not the one of yesterday. Tomorrow will be different from today. Do not expect things to remain the same.” And it was Avicenna who once said: “The more brilliant the lighting, the quicker it disappears.”

Perhaps, just perhaps, we will find our way through the maze of AI ethics, emerging on the other side wiser, kinder and infinitely more human. For, in the end, it may be our humility, not our technology, that guides us through the labyrinth of AI and ethics in the city of tomorrow.

 

Rafael Hernandez de Santiago, viscount of Espes, is a Spanish national residing in Saudi Arabia and working at the Gulf Research Center.

 

 

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

Barcelona returns to top of La Liga with 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona returns to top of La Liga with 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano
Updated 5 sec ago
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Barcelona returns to top of La Liga with 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona returns to top of La Liga with 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano
  • The defeat ended Rayo nine-game unbeaten streak that stretched back to Dec 7

BARCELONA, Spain: Barcelona returned to the top of the Spanish league on goal difference on Monday after Robert Lewandowski’s first-half penalty secured a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.
The Catalan club took advantage of weekend slip-ups by Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid to move onto 51 points, the same as Madrid and a point clear of Atlético.
Madrid drew 1-1 at Osasuna on Saturday and Atletico was held by the same score at home by Celta Vigo.
Barcelona took the lead after 27 minutes when Pathe Ciss brought down Íñigo Martínez in the box, and a penalty was awarded after a video review. Lewandowski sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot.
Both sides had chances to score after that.
Augusto Batalla saved well from Lamine Yamal, who was playing the 100th game of his career, while at the other end Jorge De Frutos had the ball in the net for Rayo only to see it ruled out for offside.
De Frutos was always dangerous for Rayo but as the game went on the home side took control as it extended its unbeaten run to 12 matches.
The defeat ended Rayo nine-game unbeaten streak that stretched back to Dec 7.


Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded

Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded
Updated 16 min 14 sec ago
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Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded

Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, 15 wounded

TORONTO: A Delta Air Lines jet with 80 people onboard crash landed Monday at the Toronto airport, officials said, flipping upside down and leaving at least 15 people injured but causing no fatalities.
The Endeavor Air flight 4819 with 76 passengers and four crew was landing at around 3:30 p.m. in Canada’s biggest metropolis, having flown from Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota, the airline said.
Paramedic services told AFP 15 people were injured including three critically — a child, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 40s.
All wounded, including those with minor injuries, were taken to area hospitals either by ambulance or helicopter, the paramedic service said.
Dramatic images on local broadcasts and shared on social media showed people stumbling away from the upside down CRJ-900 plane, shielding their faces from wind gusts.
Fire crews appeared to be dousing the aircraft with water as smoke wafted from the jetliner.
“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Air Lines plane arriving from Minneapolis. Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for,” the airport authority posted on X. The airport suspended all flights after the incident.
Facebook user John Nelson, who said he was a passenger on the flight, posted a video showing the crashed aircraft and wrote: “Our plane crashed. It’s upside down.”
“Most people appear to be okay. We’re all getting off,” he added.
Delta said its connection flight operated by Endeavor had been “involved in an incident,” and promised to share further details as it confirmed them.
“Initial reports were that there are no fatalities,” the airline said through a spokesperson’s statement.
A massive snow storm hit eastern Canada on Sunday. Strong winds and bone-chilling temperatures could still be felt in Toronto on Monday when airlines added flights to make up for weekend cancelations due to the storm.
“The snow has stopped coming down, but frigid temperatures and high winds are moving in,” the airport warned earlier, adding that it was “expecting a busy day in our terminals with over 130,000 travelers on board around 1,000 flights.”
Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand confirmed there were 80 people on the flight. “I’m closely following the serious incident at the Pearson Airport involving Delta Airlines flight 4819 from Minneapolis,” she posted on X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, said he was “relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson,” adding that airport and local authorities were providing help.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it was deploying a team of investigators to the site of the crash.
This comes after other recent air incidents in North America including a mid-air collision between a US Army helicopter and a passenger jet in Washington that killed 67 people, and a medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia that left seven dead.


Families yearn for an end to PKK-Turkiye war

Families yearn for an end to PKK-Turkiye war
Updated 18 February 2025
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Families yearn for an end to PKK-Turkiye war

Families yearn for an end to PKK-Turkiye war
  • The PKK’s jailed founder Abdullah Ocalan is widely expected to urge followers to lay down their arms in the coming weeks
  • The new peace efforts are backed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, and families on both sides of the divide want it to succeed

DIYARBAKIR, Turkiye: A mother weeping for a teenaged daughter shot dead by a Turkish sniper and a father mourning a son killed by PKK militants are among countless families hoping that a new peace drive can end Turkiye’s four-decade-old Kurdish conflict.
Both live in the Kurdish-majority southeast, where tens of thousands of lives have been lost in violence between the Turkish state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The new peace efforts are backed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, and families on both sides of the divide want it to succeed.

Fahriye Cukur (L) and Mustafa Cukur hold a portrait of their daughter Rozerin, who was killed in 2016 during fierce clashes between militants and security forces in January 2016, during an interview in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

At her home in the city of Diyarbakir, Fahriye Cukur, 63, cannot take her eyes off a picture on the wall of her daughter Rozerin in school uniform. She was killed during clashes between militants and security forces in January 2016.
The collapse of a truce in 2015 sparked a new round of the conflict when many government curfews were imposed, including in the city’s Sur district.
Cukur said her daughter — who was passionate about photography — had gone to Sur during a break in a curfew to collect exam papers from friends. But the authorities suddenly reduced the break from five hours to three and the fighting reignited.
“People were stuck there, including my daughter. She took refuge at the home of an elderly couple, but when she tried to leave, she was shot by a sniper,” her mother told AFP.
The family found out about the death through a news bulletin.

It took five months, several protests and a hunger strike for the grieving parents to get her body back.

A women walks next to the Four-Legged Minaret Mosque where Kurdish lawyer Tahir Elci was shot dead at the historical Sur district in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

Cukur said the authorities had mixed up their teenage daughter with a female PKK fighter, codenamed Roza, who had been hiding in the same district.
They claimed she had been trained in the mountains, but her mother told AFP: “My daughter was never engaged in political activism.
“She loved school, she wanted to become a psychiatrist and help her people,” she added, indicating the “TC” insignia — meaning “republic of Turkiye” — on her school uniform.
The PKK’s jailed founder Abdullah Ocalan is widely expected to urge followers to lay down their arms in the coming weeks.
Many families hope this will end the conflict and spare other families from the pain they live with.
“We can’t forget what happened but we have to hope. I have two more kids: how do I know the same thing won’t happen to them tomorrow?” she said.
Last month, the International Crisis Group said clashes between the militants and Turkish troops were largely confined to northern parts of Iraq and Syria, with violence on Turkish soil at its lowest level since 2015.
“At least we can breathe a bit now,” she said.
“I want the bloodshed to stop. I want a ceasefire. And I am not alone.”

In the nearby province of Mardin, Sehmuz Kaya, a 67-year-old Kurd, recalled how his son Vedat, a police officer, was kidnapped by PKK militants in eastern Turkiye in July 2015.
Vedat Kaya, wearing civilian clothes, was in a car with his brother and four others when militants blocked the road.
“They only kidnapped Vedat,” he told AFP, saying it was months before the family saw a PKK video of him in the Kandil mountains of northern Iraq.
The family tried every possible channel, through the state and the main pro-Kurdish party, to secure his release.
But after six years, they received a devastating call from the authorities, who said he was one of the 13 “Gara martyrs.” The 13, all but one of whom were soldiers or police, had been killed by the PKK in the Gara region of northern Iraq.
“I was devastated,” he said, struggling for words, saying his son had been tortured before his death.
“They have no faith nor conscience. My son was just doing his job,” he said.
Pinned on the ceiling is a huge Turkish flag, and on the walls are photos of Vedat, whose name has been given to a nearby park.
Although he wants peace more than anything, he admitted he has little faith.
“They are not honest,” he snapped, referring to DEM, the main pro-Kurdish party that is relaying messages from Ocalan to the government. He suspects they have ties to the PKK.
“The families of the martyrs are heartbroken. Enough is enough,” he said. “We support the process but we want something real.”
 

 


Saudi minister highlights strong ties as Kingdom and Egypt sign energy efficiency deal

Saudi minister highlights strong ties as Kingdom and Egypt sign energy efficiency deal
Updated 18 February 2025
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Saudi minister highlights strong ties as Kingdom and Egypt sign energy efficiency deal

Saudi minister highlights strong ties as Kingdom and Egypt sign energy efficiency deal
  • Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman says joint initiatives will enhance regional energy security, sustainability
  • Saudi companies to launch 5 new solar and wind energy projects in Egypt as part of collaboration

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening energy cooperation with Egypt during his address at the Egypt Energy Show on Monday.

The minister was speaking after the signing of an executive plan between Saudi Arabia and Egypt aimed at enhancing cooperation in the field of energy efficiency.

Under the executive plan, both countries will work together to establish a national energy efficiency program in Egypt, which will include drafting regulations and technical standards, capacity building, raising awareness, and fostering the development of energy service companies.

Prince Abdulaziz emphasized the brotherly relationship between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, saying that both nations share a responsibility to lead the transformation of the energy sector and adding that the collaboration aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and Egypt’s strategic energy transformation goals.

In his address, the minister thanked Egypt’s leadership and its role in fostering robust relations between the two nations, and he highlighted the several major joint energy initiatives announced on Monday as ways of enhancing regional energy security and sustainability.

As part of the collaboration, five new solar and wind energy projects will be launched in Egypt by Saudi companies, boasting a combined capacity of 1.696 gigawatts and an investment of about SR6.2 billion ($1.65 billion). 

The projects will be developed by ACWA Power, Alfanar, FAS, and MOWAH.

Additionally, ACWA Power has signed a power purchase agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company for a 2GW wind energy project in South Hurghada.

With an investment of SR8.6 billion, the initiative is set to become the largest wind energy project in Egypt, further advancing the country’s renewable energy ambitions.

The Saudi-Egypt Electricity Interconnection Project was also highlighted as a significant step toward regional cooperation, with a SR6.7 billion investment and the ability to exchange 3,000 MW of electricity between the two nations once completed.


UK science minister visits King Faisal Specialist Hospital’s heart center

UK science minister visits King Faisal Specialist Hospital’s heart center
Updated 18 February 2025
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UK science minister visits King Faisal Specialist Hospital’s heart center

UK science minister visits King Faisal Specialist Hospital’s heart center
  • Peter Kyle meets medical team responsible for world’s first fully robotic heart transplant
  • Visit follows global recognition of KFSHRC’s medical standing, groundbreaking innovations

RIYADH: The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology visited the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Peter Kyle was shown the hospital’s cardiac facilities, which have pioneered advancements in cardiac care and medical innovation.

Kyle visited the Heart Center of Excellence, where he observed cutting-edge technologies and medical breakthroughs that have positioned KFSHRC as a global leader in specialized healthcare.

He was received by Dr. Hani Al-Sergani, the center's executive director, and his deputy, Prof. Feras Khaliel.

The British official met with the medical team responsible for the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant, a landmark achievement led by Khaliel.

Kyle also reviewed the latest advancements in minimally invasive organ transplantation, which reduce surgical risks and improve patient recovery times.

His visit follows the international recognition of KFSHRC’s medical milestones, particularly after the groundbreaking robotic heart transplant.

KFSHRC ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa region and 15th globally among the world’s top 250 academic medical centers for the second consecutive year.

It was also named the most valuable healthcare brand in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East by Brand Finance 2025, and was included in Newsweek’s World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2025 list.