On 4 Jun 2026, Prof Ben Leong, the Director of AICET, participated in the Mid-Year Learning Festival organized by Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) as the Guest of Honour and keynote speaker.
In his keynote presentation, titled “Preparing our students for an AI-driven future,” Prof Ben Leong addressed the critical structural shifts in the global economy and the profound pedagogical implications of generative AI within school environments. Rather than focusing on technological novelty or promoting technical tools for their own sake, the session offered a deeply grounded and realistic perspective on navigating the evolving landscape of teaching, learning, and assessment.
The presentation extensively examined how the rapid advancement of AI accelerates the performance gap between true experts and novices, warning that global competition will intensify dramatically as traditional entry-level jobs and tasks disappear. Within this context, Prof Ben Leong strongly emphasized the hidden risk of over-reliance on automated tools during a student’s formative educational years, which can inadvertently prevent them from developing foundational independent reasoning and core critical thinking skills. He pointed out that producing a polished output via AI does not equate to actual learning, and that relying on technology for tasks one cannot do independently leads to long-term cognitive disadvantages.
Consequently, educators were encouraged to prioritize professional human judgment above all else. The session highlighted that using AI without a strong pedagogical foundation and sharp critical evaluation merely leads to a flood of low-quality, unverified outputs, whereas combining good human judgment with technology successfully transforms it into a powerful force multiplier for high-quality teaching.
Ultimately, the session concluded that technology can never replace the core mission of an educator, which remains fundamentally rooted in character education, timeless values, and guiding students to lead purposeful lives.
Following the presentation, Prof Ben Leong engaged in an extensive, open dialogue with the participating teaching staff, addressing their everyday practical concerns and sharing deep reflections on how to properly balance digital literacy with foundational cognitive training in the modern classroom. It was a highly meaningful time of mutual learning, allowing the educators to discuss the realistic challenges of assessment and student guidance in an automated age, leaving everyone with profound questions to ponder as they shape the future of their classrooms.