The explosion of artificial intelligence in recent years has sparked a range of public reaction from horror to confusion to optimism, and the Rainy River District School Board (RRDSB) is tackling the issue head on by providing students and staff with guidance around smart and safe use of the technology.
“It’s ubiquitous,” RRDSB Director of Education Heather Campbell told the Times. “It’s everywhere, and sometimes people may not realise that. It’s important for our students because we want to prepare them for their futures, to have that experience, to have that understanding, but more importantly to know how to use it and when not to use it.”
AI is a branch of computer science focused on building systems that can perform tasks that normally require human intelligence—recognizing patterns, understanding language, making decisions, learning from experience and adapting to new information. It uses data and algorithms to spot relationships, predict outcomes and automate complex processes, whether recommending a movie, detecting fraud, powering a self-driving car or helping scientists analyze massive datasets.
While large language models (LLMs) and other machine learning tools have powered search engines and many other applications for decades, public controversy around AI didn’t erupt until recently, when consumer‑friendly chatbots such as ChatGPT and Copilot burst onto the scene.
“It’s imperative that we do look at AI as an emerging, although it’s far from emerging at this point, technology,” Campbell said. “Our students must have the digital literacy skills needed to be successful post-high school.”
AI’s labour‑market impact so far is showing up more in task exposure than in job losses. Statistics Canada estimates that about 40 per cent of Canadian workers are in occupations highly exposed to AI‑related task change, with exposure concentrated in professional and technical roles.
Yet OECD analysis finds no clear evidence that AI‑exposed occupations have seen higher unemployment or weaker job growth, suggesting early effects are more about reshaping work than eliminating it.
According to Campbell, the board’s approach teaching AI-related course material focuses on modelling the proper use of AI and explaining the ethics involved in the use of AI, helping to prepare students for the realities of its use in the wider world. Essentially, students are being taught to use critical thinking skills, cross-referencing and factchecking.
“It’s not to learn AI for AI’s sake,” Campbell said. “It’s about when do we need it? When do we not need it? Initially, when we surveyed students, they believed it was a cheating tool. So, it’s really important to show them that there are benefits to it but there are also risks.”
“They’re already looking at AI, and they need to really step back and critically think if this is accurate. It’s getting so refined that they must learn that what they’re reading online is not necessarily true, accurate or full in its information. That’s really important.”
One of those risks is the bias that AI-generated answers and results tend to share. For example, using a grammar checker like Grammarly can give students a false sense of confidence when submitting their work because they implicitly believe that it will check everything that could be an error, which is not the case.
District schools don’t offer a specific course on the uses and abuses of AI, rather it is woven into the existing curriculum’s tapestry of learning. Campbell said the response from students and teachers alike has been positive and that the approach to AI has leaned toward supporting academic rigour rather than hindering it.
“[AI is] a supportive classroom tool, but it doesn’t replace the teaching and learning that goes on in our classrooms,” Campbell said. “It also ensures that our staff can streamline some of the administrative tasks and then spend more time on the human aspects of teaching.”
Teachers are also learning about AI alongside their students but using it in different ways. The board has recently created resources to guide teachers around when AI can be used and to what extent.
“Of course, we are using tools that have been licensed and vetted for privacy and safety concerns—they’re not going on ChatGPT,” Campbell said. “They’re using Gemini, which is licensed for ages 13 and up.”
“One of the greatest tools that it provides for our teachers is the ability to differentiate learning for a variety of learning needs or abilities within a classroom, and that is so important, knowing that our classrooms are not homogeneous,” Campbell said. “That is a major game changer in providing a tool for teachers to do that work, because it’s very time-consuming.”
