Scottish university secures funding to boost AI skills in schools

Robert Gordon University (RGU) has secured a share of a £500k fund to help children navigate artificial intelligence (AI) safely.

It is one of six projects to receive a cut of a half-a-million-pound fund from Responsible AI UK, a consortium of experts from UK universities working to develop trustworthy AI.

The cash injection will help expand the university's toolkit, named Maddie is Online, which will now focus on the responsible use of generative AI.

The tool, which will be co-designed with Scottish schools and librarians,  “will contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of Scotland”, the university said.

Over the next year, the team will work on the project which is expected to provide resources on GenAI academic integrity, information literacy and critical thinking skills.

Designed for nine-12-year-olds, the initiative follows the life of a fictitious pre-teen girl called Maddie who experiences troubles online.

Dr Konstantina Martzoukou, who leads the project said: “AI is increasingly becoming integral to our everyday lives, and it is vital that we equip young people and the wider community with the skills to navigate AI. RGU is committed to contributing to the health and well-being of society, and through our project we are giving back something tangible that will contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of Scotland.”

It is understood that the project will also develop resources to help teachers integrate AI into the curriculum.

Student using Maddie is Online | RGU

Dr Pascal Ezenkwu, RGUcomputing lecturer, said: “As AI continues to expand its capabilities into areas involving human-level intellect and creativity, Gen AI skills will increasingly become important for the modern world. This is particularly crucial for young people who will face the full impact of the disruption caused by this technology. 

"Our project aims to develop an educational toolkit that will better prepare young people to understand how to responsibly leverage Gen AI, co-creating with it while being aware of some of the risk factors, and why the human element in the use of AI will ever remain crucial.”

Sean McNamara, director of CILIP, the UK’s Library and Information Association, which will also support the project, added: “Gen AI is an important topic for libraries and librarians all across Scotland, with many keen to understand how they can support their users to understand it and also how they can apply it themselves. This project will be a fantastic way to collaborate over these issues and to help young people better understand Gen AI as well as create some useful resources.”