New Japanese high school textbooks refer to use of generative AI in classrooms

A Japanese education ministry panel has approved textbooks to be used in the country’s high schools from April next year. For the first time, the textbooks contain content that refer to the educational use of generative AI, such as its role in classroom discussions.

The panel on Tuesday approved 220 of the 224 textbooks screened. They will be used mainly by second-year high school students.

There were a total of 67 passages on AI in all subjects.

Previous mentions of AI were limited to introductions of how it works and what to watch out for.

The education ministry said in 2024 that it encouraged the use of AI in schools.

Elementary and high school textbooks to be screened next fiscal year are expected to contain more such content that go further into detail on the subject.

Textbooks on geography and history, and civics, mention Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese group representing atomic bomb survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The panel did not approve four of the textbooks, citing differences with government curriculum guidelines.

The approved textbooks will be adopted by education boards across Japan this summer for use in high schools next fiscal year.

Mitsui Kazuki, an associate professor at the University of Yamanashi, says in an increasingly digitized society, it is important to become familiar with AI while in school, so future textbooks will likely make more mention of its use.

But he adds that classroom use of AI remains limited at this stage due to excessive concerns about the potential risks.