Navigating AI in Social Work Education
Editor’s note: In this blog post, four social worker educators share a sample from their new and free resource about using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in social work education. Alexander Rubin, LCSW, is a clinical assistant professor based in field education at the University at Buffalo School of School of Social Work. He specializes in community partnership development, field-specific teaching, and innovation in field education. Michael Lynch, LMSW, is a clinical associate professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. He specializes in experiential learning, community partnerships, and the use of technology in social work practice and education. Todd Sage, Ph.D., MSW, is a clinical associate professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. He is the chemical dependency track coordinator and mental health track chair. He researches technology and child welfare and enjoys integrating emerging technologies in the classroom and as a field instructor. Melanie Sage, Ph.D., LCSW, is a tech consultant for universities, social work departments, and social work agencies. She is an expert in generative AI, machine learning in social work, social media use, online education, and teaching with technology. She also works with agencies to train staff in Motivational Interviewing.
As social work educators, we find ourselves at a point where the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT intersect with our professional practice more and more often, and we ponder these challenges with much philosophical debate in academic settings. But we send our students out to their practicum sites, and the debates are no longer philosophical; real-life decisions affect agencies, students, and clients, and these challenges must be thoughtfully and practically addressed. The emergence of AI has outpaced the development of comprehensive policy in numerous professional settings. This is why we wrote an article to offer guidance and considerations for the social work field educator with a student placed in their agency. Our goal is to introduce use cases, debates, and potential policies. The full article can be downloaded here and shared with your local social services agencies.
As stewards of social work pedagogy, we must embrace innovation while upholding the ethical values of our profession. Whether you decide to use AI yourself or not, students probably will. Here are some key takeaways we developed while preparing considerations and guidance for the field.
Be Open-Minded but Ethical: The tech is evolving faster than policies at many agencies. So we must be open to AI’s potential while upholding our ethical standards. Our advice? Start discussing AI guidelines for your workplace now before you have to react to issues down the road.
Get AI Literate: It’s crucial to understand what AI can and can’t do. We encourage you to demystify it for yourself and your students. AI can streamline tasks, enhance research, and offer new insights. But it has blindspots and can perpetuate biases if we’re not careful.
Develop Balanced Policies: Policies on AI use should balance its efficiency benefits with protecting the client-social worker relationship. Whether policies are conservative or liberal, the goal is to use AI responsibly while ensuring confidentiality and ethics. (We offer some policy guidance in the downloadable article).
Think Critically About AI Use: Determining when and where to use AI can be difficult and should be examined critically. AI lacks human judgment, so we must analyze if outputs align with ethics and client needs.
Practical Pros and Cons: AI can boost the productivity of administrative tasks and richer educational content. But it has limits in nuanced situations requiring true empathy. View it as an augmentation tool, not a replacement for human expertise. Integrating AI demands a balanced approach—establish guidelines, think critically, and prioritize ethics. If we do this right, AI can positively enhance our impact without compromising our values.
Change is never easy, and it is easy to see ourselves as unskilled regarding tech. Yet, as our lives become increasingly mediated by technology and adopted by those around us, bringing our humanistic lenses to these spaces becomes even more important. If we approach it thoughtfully and ethically, AI has supports to offer that can improve our work and the lives of the people we work with.
How to cite:
Rubin, A., Lynch, M., Sage, T. & Sage, M. (2024, March 29). Navigating AI in Social Work Education. Teaching and Learning in Social Work. https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2024/03/29/navigating-ai-in-social-work-education/
