A global education expert on Artificial Intelligence has taken time out from his visit to the annual BelTech conference in the Titanic Centre to meet with students studying tech at Coláiste Feirste.
Ryan Keenan, whose ancestors emigrated from the Lough Shore at the end of the 19th Century, is heading up research into the future of education for Deeplearning.ai which is transforming the nature of learning. Deeplearning is an off-shoot of 160-million member Coursera, the global online tech learning platform established by Andrew Ng.
Addressing Coláiste Feirste students, Keenan, who travelled to Belfast from his home in Reno, Nevada predicted AI wouldn't replace teachers but it could help tailor individual courses for each student.
"Imagine the situation where an online teacher could focus on the skills gaps of a student and focus on those or answer specific questions rather than having a one-size-fits-all situation," said Keenan. "It was a thrill to meet the students, to hear them speaking in Irish and to find out how informed they were about AI, its threats and opportunities."
Pupil Pádraig Ó Brolcháin was among students who expressed fears of AI ripping off artists by stealing their copyrighted works and queried how humanity could ensure artificial intelligence was used ethically. Our picture below (l-r) shows pupils Ferdia Mac Domhnaill, Criostóir Ó Cianáin, Pádraig Ó Brolcháin, Tiarnan Ó Ceallaigh, Liam Mac Aindreasa, Ruán Mac Conrai and Odhrán Mac Philib.
FÁILTE: Coláiste Feirste pupils welome Ryan Keenan and Máirtín Ó Muilleoir to their computer class
Dara Mac Coille of Coláiste Feirste said pupils were pleased to have a world leader in AI join them. "It was an exciting day in our computer classroom," he said in Irish. "We were honoured to host Ryan Keenan to shrare his insights into the future of AI with our Year 11 students. The discussion was engaging and stimulating, sparking great interest among our young. It was a great opportunity for our students to learn from the experts and explore the possibilities of AI in the future."
