AI and Education
As generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) continues to evolve, higher education faces profound changes. Recently, I attended a dinner hosted by the Chronicle of Higher Education and sponsored by Adobe, where we discussed these very issues. During the conversation, it was clear that there's nervousness within the education community. This tension was originally driven by the question of how to teach writing to students who have a professional writer (ChatGPT) on their desktop. It has since morphed into concerns about the future of higher education as an endeavor and the future of work in education.
The first response to Gen AI in education was to try to shut it down. Aside from being futile (It is hard to shut down the most rapidly adopted technology in history), it is counterproductive to what we are as educators and where we want to go. We suggest an alternative approach that is far more proactive. We cannot wait for the future to come to us. We need to build it ourselves.
The future of education lies in educators harnessing AI in ways that enhance our values and goals. The capabilities of Gen AI are astounding, offering functionalities we once thought required humans. From personalized learning platforms to intelligent tutoring systems, AI has the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning. Yet, there is a legitimate concern that Gen AI could overshadow human educators and undermine essential skills. To address this, our discussions must shift from fear to proactive engagement.
We must stop reacting passively to technological advancements and start setting the agenda ourselves. This involves three key strategies:
First, we have a responsibility to teach students how to use technology thoughtfully. AI literacy should be part of the curriculum, ensuring students can use these tools effectively while remaining critical of their applications and limitations.
Second, we need to view technologies as opportunities to rethink and enhance our educational goals. It's crucial to ask ourselves what we value in education and how AI can help amplify these values. Instead of seeing technology as a given, we should see it as a possibility that can be molded to fit our needs.
Third, fostering communication within our communities is essential to help us articulate our needs clearly and collaboratively. By doing so, we can guide AI development to serve our educational goals rather than allowing it to dictate the terms.
To navigate this new landscape, we must advocate for a consortium of thinkers in education to guide AI development in ways that prioritize the goals and values that define education. We can use this as an opportunity to direct work in support of critical thinking, argument formation, system that evaluate student work or join in on study group conversation. Education should empower students to question, challenge, and think beyond what is in front of them and part of our job as educators is to direct the work towards these goals.
The arrival of AI in education presents both challenges and opportunities. By adopting a proactive stance, we can transform these challenges into opportunities for enhancing critical thinking, fostering community, and ensuring that technology serves our educational aspirations.
It's time to stop being passive recipients of technological change and start being active architects of our educational future. Through thoughtful engagement and collaboration, we can shape a future where AI enriches educational experience, amplifies human potential, and fosters a more enlightened society.
Kristian Hammond
Bill and Cathy Osborn Professor of Computer Science
Director of the Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence (CASMI)
Director of the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) Program