By Nick Yates, ISB Communications, and Pu Chun Zhu, ISB Alumni Relations
Published on Friday, January 26, 2024
Was this article really written by Nick Yates and Pu Chun Zhu? What of the cybersecurity risks? How can it play a constructive role in education while watching out for plagiarism? International School of Beijing (ISB) community members and friends grappled with issues like these yesterday as they enjoyed a special panel discussion among experts on artificial intelligence (AI).
ISB’s new Leadership Talk Series runs throughout the year to bring in experts including from the ISB alumni network for talks open to the school’s own students and parents and the wider community. Held on Thursday, January 25, the second event in the series was on The Future of AI. It featured experts including Dr. Julien Lai from Nvidia, a world leader in artificial intelligence computing; Billy Lau, ISB Class of 2015 and founder and CEO of ByeCode; and Tina Huang, ISB Class of 2013 and founder and CTO of Ingenius Studios.
They discussed how AI is becoming more and more a part of everyday life and how it can be used positively. “AI are just tools to support us in reaching our goals. It allows you to apply learnings, showcase progress, reflect and reiterate, practice fundamentals,” said Billy Lau.
Tina Huang spoke about AI’s application in education: “AI empowers teachers to deliver richer experiences and focus on relationships and community. There are so many ways to enrich education – lesson planning, diverse feedback, learning from others.”
ISB Leadership Talks are themed around hot contemporary topics and current affairs relevant to education and the ISB community. The series was created in support of the school’s Mission and Strategic Focus Areas:
- Providing challenging and joyful learning,
- Using ISB’s resources to empower students to purpose and compassion, and
- Ensuring strong, lifelong peer relationships in this inclusive community.
That third Strategic Focus Area also includes ISB developing the greatest international school alumni network in Asia. The starring role of alumni in the Leadership Talk Series is the latest example of how students’ involvement with ISB does not end with graduation. ISB alumni continue to find networking opportunities and to give back to the current student body.
The first ISB Leadership Talk was held on September 28, focusing on the video games industry. And many ISB community members and friends are already looking forward to the next Leadership Talk on May 22.
“Let’s do more of this. I loved it!” said Lea Bochtler, ISB Class of 2018, after yesterday’s event.
“AI is the hottest topic this year,” said another audience member. “Its impact on society continues to transform the world we live in. It’s very exciting for this topic to be discussed at the International School of Beijing. I hope there will be more discussions like this.”