How the history of IQ testing shapes AI and education today

The history of IQ testing reveals how the concept of “intelligence” has been used to justify racism, ableism and eugenics in Canadian education.

From testing racialized students to influencing residential school policies, IQ measurements helped universities rank and exclude people based on pseudoscientific ideas about intelligence.As AI becomes increasingly integrated into education, these histories raise concerns about how algorithms and standardized assessments may reproduce existing biases.

The article argues that educators should move away from high-stakes testing and rigid grading systems, focusing instead on critical thinking, collaboration, human relationships and the ability to connect ideas.