Students need mastery of maths and English to detect AI trickery

A top university has demanded schools teach ‘strong foundational skills’’ to students so they can’t be tricked by artificial intelligence hallucinations and deep fakes.

The University of Sydney says school leavers must have a mastery of English and maths if they are to work with AI.

A top university has demanded schools teach “strong foundational skills’’ to students so they can’t be tricked by artificial intelligence hallucinations and deep fakes.

As federal parliament debates new laws forcing universities to provide more support to struggling students, the University of Sydney questioned the academic calibre of some school leavers.

The university calls for education policy and funding to focus on equipping “all Australians completing secondary school with strong foundational skills and AI literacy’’.

“We stress the critical importance of current and future generations of young Australians leaving secondary school with strong foundational skills – English language, literacy, numeracy, digital literacy and employability – if they are to participate effectively and meaningfully in society, post-school education and work,’’ the university told a Senate inquiry into the use of AI in education.

“Strong foundational skills are critical to an individual’s ability to engage successfully in tertiary-level studies and lifelong learning, to avoid obsolescence and find new occupations, if necessary, that require retraining or upskilling.

“Foundational skills also underpin an individual’s capacity for critical analysis and to discern truthful and accurate information from the intentionally fake or otherwise erroneous information that increasingly sophisticated Gen-AI models will be able to produce.’’

Sydney University’s submission cites a Grattan Institute analysis showing the “performance of Australian school students in reading and maths is going backwards, whether compared to past performance or international benchmarks’’.

“Worryingly, the learning gap between students from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds more than doubles between year 3 and year 9,’’ the university states in its submission.

“Meanwhile, according to the Productivity Commission, one in five Australian adults have poor foundational skills, leaving them unable to perform basic tasks, more likely to be unemployed, disengaged from education or training and on lower incomes.’’

The university says school students must be taught to use generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) that can already write essays, produce code and images and research information. But school students must also be taught how the technology works, it says.

University of Newcastle academic Erica Southgate, a professor in the School of Education, has warned the Senate inquiry that children “bond’’ with AI.

“At a developmental level, children have difficulty discerning reality from fantasy until the ages of around seven to 11,’’ she states in her submission. “User-facing AI, especially that designed to mimic human interaction, is being designed to keep us engaged. Teachers will need to make careful decisions about whether this type of AI is suitable for their learners. Some adolescent and adult students will form bonds with AI that may not be good for developing their capability as active, questioning and agentic learners.’’

The University of Sydney warns of a widening “digital divide’’ between students from well-resourced schools that teach them to understand and use AI, and those from schools where the technology is banned or unaffordable.

The university’s pressure on schools comes as the federal government legislates to improve academic, financial and welfare support for tertiary students struggling to finish their degrees.

Education Minister Jason Clare has introduced legislation that would fine universities nearly $20,000 each time they fail to support a struggling student with tutoring or counselling.

Federal opposition education spokeswoman Senator Sarah Henderson has also criticised universities over high dropout rates and called for a refund scheme for poor-quality degrees.