Microsoft Australia’s CEO Steven Worrall says schools and universities should not attempt to block OpenAI and ChatGPT from the classroom, saying that we cannot choose to opt out of the AI revolution.
Education departments in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia have all flagged their intentions to ban ChatGPT from public schools.
“This wave is not one you can say we are choosing not to participate in,” Worrall told The Australian.
“Do we want to ride that wave and how do we want leverage it?”
“We are at a pivotal moment. We can now achieve things that we weren’t able to achieve before, and then what we’re going to see also is how do you use it.
“This is where copilots come to the forefront of the story. Copilot for us is simply the interface that makes this new technology accessible. It will guide you.”
Worrall recently met with senior members of the Australian government to address their concerns with the technology.
“How do we ensure this technology is used in a way that moves us forward as a nation because quite legitimately, there are a lot of questions out there. Many ask ‘Will this just replace me or enable my company to do more with less’?” Worrall said.
“Microsoft has to do a much better job as we go forward of ensuring we address that concern.
“We’ve known this moment has been coming and we’ve been working on it for years, and we have been working with governments all around the around the world, including the Australian government.
“We have confidence that we’ve got the framework in place to have a sophisticated and mature discussion about the implications of the use of this technology and how we might then, as a nation, put it to use in the most effective way.”
