Philippine higher education institutions should come together soon to establish a common approach to students’ use of artificial intelligence, a member of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education said Monday.
Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos called for a national discussion on whether schools should restrict or allow AI tools in academic work as their use becomes more common among students.
“To ban or not to ban AI use in our schools is the burning question that we must answer soon,” Bernos said in a news release.
Her call followed the University of the Philippines College of Law’s announcement of a new policy governing AI use after observing a “considerable decline in the quality” of arguments and discourse among its students.
The college also cited concerns from employers who reportedly had a poor impression of some recent graduates because they were “AI-dependent.”
Bernos acknowledged that AI will remain part of the technological and employment landscape and said higher education institutions should prepare students to use it appropriately.
She cautioned, however, that schools need to balance technology adoption with the need to preserve critical thinking and intellectual rigor in higher education.
Students should be taught to use AI and other technologies as tools rather than shortcuts in completing academic requirements, Bernos said.
She urged the government to take the lead in bringing higher education institutions together to discuss appropriate policies and approaches to AI use.
Bernos said the process would be difficult but should begin immediately to help ensure that students remain prepared for changes in technology and the workplace.
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