Pavel Klepinin: AI Training Should Become Part of the Curriculum

The forum brings together participants to explore how digital technologies are transforming the economy, public administration and education. Pavel Klepinin, Vice-Rector for Information Technology and Digital Transformation at the Russian Presidential Academy, spoke to IT Russia about how artificial intelligence can be used in education, the rules governing its use and the risks involved.

– AI should already be used everywhere, and in fact, it is being used across all sectors. Education is no exception. At the Presidential Academy, we’ve been actively integrating AI tools into back-office operations for about a year and a half. These include assistants for administrative staff, and we’ve also shifted some software development work to AI.

We have tools for sales managers and for communicating with our students. Overall, there are many areas where AI can be applied. And, of course, it has a role in education itself. It’s no secret that students have been using AI tools to prepare assignments for quite some time. Teachers also use AI tools to check their work. That’s why it was extremely important for us to bring this topic out of the gray area and establish clear rules for its use.

Last year, our Academic Council adopted an academic integrity policy governing the use of AI. So, at the Academy, its use is permitted, although students must follow certain procedures and restrictions. Students can use AI, but they must be transparent about where and how they’ve used it. They fill out analytical notes accompanying their assignments, identifying the models and prompts they used and explaining at which stages of preparing their work they turned to AI.

Teachers use AI, too, for example, when preparing various documents. One such document is the course syllabus, known in Russian as an RPD. These are substantial documents that used to take teachers weeks, and sometimes even months, to prepare. Now AI can do the job in a matter of hours. AI is also used to check assignments, but the key point is that it serves only as an assistant to the teacher, taking over some of the routine work.

Another application is reviewing written assignments, which used to take teachers a great deal of time to read. Now, before reading an assignment themselves, teachers run it through an AI tool that flags potential problem areas and highlights what deserves closer attention. The teacher then examines those issues and makes the final judgment.

When it comes to the risks of using AI in education, the main concern is the high cost of making a mistake. We shouldn’t rush to adopt new, supposedly innovative methods that could transform education. If we get it wrong, we could end up with a lost generation. We should use only proven practices in areas where we’re confident they won’t harm the educational process.

The second risk is the loss of critical thinking. This is a concern for humanity as a whole. The brain consumes a tremendous amount of energy, so it tends to minimize the effort it expends on thinking. That’s normal and has a physiological basis. What matters is making sure people don’t lose the ability to question and verify the information and recommendations AI provides. That requires critical thinking. So, as we introduce AI tools into education, we also need to significantly strengthen critical-thinking instruction and equip students with practical skills.

The third concern is cybersecurity, because using AI models that are not subject to oversight within the country can be dangerous.

It’s difficult to monitor how students use AI, so raising awareness is important to help them develop a responsible attitude toward technology. In my view, all educational programs should include mandatory courses on working with AI, ideally starting in schools. These courses should cover the basics of cybersecurity, including the safe use of AI. As many people as possible need this knowledge.

Another important topic is AI’s impact on science and the role of researchers. On October 22, the Presidential Academy will host an international scientific conference, where I’ll moderate a plenary session. We’ll discuss a central question: Is AI a co-author of scientific research and discoveries, or merely a tool, like a calculator? We’d like to understand whether the scientific community has a shared position on this issue and how it plans to respond to the challenges posed by AI’s development. We invite researchers and university representatives from around the world to take part in the conference.