Candidates for Washington Superintendent discuss AI and mental health | 4thepeople-elections-coverage [Video]

SPOKANE, Wash. — Candidates for the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction debated in downtown Spokane on Wednesday afternoon. 

Navy veteran and Peninsula School District board member, David Olson, went toe-to-toe with incumbent and former Washington Representative, Chris Reykdal during Wednesday’s debate. 

They discussed student mental health, artificial intelligence, social media and cell phone use at school. 

Regarding AI, Olson and Reykdal debated on its potential impact and how it could be used to improve learning. 

“It’s not a website that you go find something. It’s something that you’re allowed to create with. So we put guidance to our educators to shape the classroom. They’re going to have to teach differently, because the five-page paper that took you and I weeks to write, pouring through card catalogs and libraries, it literally gets done in five seconds,” said Reykdal. 

He also likened AI to the calculator, saying there was hesitation when calculators were first introduced in the classroom.  

Olson’s response focused on how to promote equity while incorporating AI across …