Education officials said junior secondary pupils will be made aware of ethical issues relating to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) under a new AI module.

According to the Education Bureau, schools are recommended to incorporate 10 to 14 hours of AI lessons into the junior secondary curriculum over three years from the 2023-24 academic year. Officials said the course would help further cultivate students’ computational thinking and improve their innovative technology learning.

"Artificial intelligence can help us improve productivity, but there are other aspects to consider," said Henry Lin, chief curriculum development officer from the bureau.

"For example, it's possible that someone writes software for criminal purposes, but it's important to teach pupils that this is not ethical use of technology."

Lin cited self-driving as another example. "If there is an accident, who is responsible? This is a moral dilemma that would be included in the curriculum."

Chung Fu-yuen, assistant principal of Concordia Lutheran School, said students will be tasked with creating solutions for problems they face in their everyday life.

Previously, students designed a self-study room using facial recognition technology, rather than handwritten records.

Chung also said he plans to have his students work in groups. "The weaker students are usually grouped with the stronger students. This allows for more discussion. Some students may excel in programming while others may excel in presentation skills," he added.