[Info. File] MEXT Publishes Guidelines on Using Generative AI in Schools

Based on the MEXT's “Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI in Primary and Secondary Education (ver. 2.0)”

In December 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) released the "Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI in Primary and Secondary Education (ver. 2.0)" (文部科学省「初等中等教育段階における生成AIの利活用に関するガイドライン（ver2.0）」) (hereafter, the “Guidelines”).

The Guidelines evaluate generative AI as a tool capable of useful output which—if used well—can supplement and extend human abilities and broaden possibilities. Anticipating everyday use in the future, they call for students at the school stage to deepen their understanding of generative AI and acquire appropriate ways to use it.

At the same time, by its nature generative AI can produce hallucinations (incorrect outputs derived from training data) and reproduce biases related to prejudice or discrimination. The Guidelines ask teachers to take these risks into account in their own work while using generative AI, and to instruct students to treat AI output as reference material only and make final judgments themselves.

Since FY2023, pilot schools for generative AI have been designated, and the end-of-year survey and analysis results have been published. Findings from FY2023 suggest that students may increase their motivation to learn and creativity through trial-and-error while trying to elicit intended outputs from generative AI. At the same time, cases were observed in which students accepted AI answers uncritically or were unable to choose appropriate situations for use on their own. In light of this, the need for proper teacher guidance and environmental preparation has been raised. (MEXT “Past Initiatives on Generative AI at the Primary and Secondary Education Stage” (文部科学省「初等中等教育段階における生成AIに関するこれまでの取り組み」))

Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), "Past Initiatives on Generative AI in Primary and Secondary Education Stage" (文部科学省「初等中等教育段階における生成AIに関するこれまでの取り組み」), p. 10 (author’s partial adaptation).

As key points for using generative AI in schools, the Guidelines highlight: (1) appropriate use with safety in mind, (2) ensuring information security, (3) protection of personal information, privacy, and copyrights, and (4) ensuring fairness. They recommend that teachers themselves gain a hands-on grasp of both the conveniences and the concerns of generative AI and translate that into use aligned with these points. They also call on boards of education to support classroom practice by developing an Education Information Security Policy and organizing training.

Source: Compiled by the author

(Published with additions and revisions in the February 2025 issue of "EN-ICHI FORUM")

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