Challenging Prometheus: Intelligent Education Won’t Be Artificial
Contemporary education should focus on “extended intelligence,” integrating AI as an extension of human capabilities.
Artificial intelligence is playing a fundamental role in transforming and optimizing various sectors such as healthcare, finance, energy, and retail. However, it is in the field of education that an extraordinary potential for the application of these technologies is envisioned. The possibilities and challenges that the introduction of AI can bring to the human learning model are remarkable.
We have been using AI so far as a force to accelerate and continue what we are already doing. But we will reach a point where we can turn to the vision of Professor Benjamin Bloom, who has been questioning the passive education model since 1956.
He developed the taxonomy of active learning, composed of six levels of cognitive process (updated in 2001): remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and finally, creating. It is here that we can truly disrupt education and use AI not only as an accelerator but as a transformative agent in the way we learn.
Just as Prometheus brought fire to humans, challenging the gods and empowering humanity with knowledge and power, the arrival of artificial intelligence can be seen as a revolution that challenges the boundaries of human knowledge.
Fire allowed humans to advance in their abilities and understanding of the world around them; artificial intelligence promises to propel society to new levels of efficiency, innovation, and discovery.
However, just as Prometheus faced the wrath of the gods for his act of defiance, the introduction of artificial intelligence also raises ethical, social, and philosophical questions that require careful reflection and consideration.
It is crucial to address issues related to algorithmic bias, which can perpetuate inequalities and discrimination. In this sense, human oversight and governance of AI systems are essential to ensure that such technologies are used fairly and responsibly, promoting equity in the educational process.
LEADING THE REVOLUTION
Abandoning the obsolete model of passive learning, which generally brings us a retention capacity of only 6% of the content, and exponentially advancing to active learning, supported by AI and active and practical collaboration, delivers a learning efficiency of up to 96%.
In this context, education should be at the forefront of the revolution of the present, adapting to prepare us for an economy entirely based on data, where AIs will be the extension of our learning, opening doors to the long-awaited personalized and active education.
Initiatives like Khan Academy’s Khanmigo, illustrated in Sal Khan’s Ted Talk “How AI could save (not destroy) education,” are possible horizons when technology is used as a super tutor for students and a super assistant for teachers.
In addition to this example, we have an excellent invitation to active learning being applied in universities with the Immersive Reader, a Microsoft reading support tool, where you are actually encouraged to go beyond simple understanding and navigate through the routes of applicability.
As the emphasis shifts from traditional knowledge transfer to skill development, education can and should play a fundamental role in empowering people to navigate a future that will almost literally be liquid, controlled by those who master the art of semiotics.
With all of humanity’s history being digitized and all layers of our present being monitored and interpreted by algorithms, our profile will be virtually 100% understood by electronic minds, capable of anticipating any desire or need — our perfect replicas.
HUMAN CREATIVITY CAN OFFER INNOVATIVE IDEAS, WHILE AI CAN PROVIDE REFINEMENT TO IMPLEMENT THEM EFFICIENTLY.
Will we be able to manage this for good, save time, and use our synthetic personas for operational activities while focusing on bigger problem-solving solutions to ensure our supremacy and evolution, as we have always done?
Will schools be the most valuable institutions or the new “stock exchanges” of the new digital world?
If the world inevitably evolves, changes, and transforms, with obsolescence as the dish of the day and complexity as the “daily bread,” we will be forced to invest our time and creative leisure in a new kind of education, reshaping the way we think and educate ourselves for continuous learning supported by our learning assistants.
WILL THE FUTURE BE UNPREDICTABLE?
Even in the face of AI advances, the ability to learn and adapt has been our great asset. Human intuition, creativity, and emotional intelligence are areas where machines fall short. Humans and machines collaborating is a great opportunity for collective intelligence.
New interfaces are being designed to make technology use increasingly transparent and ubiquitous, enabling constant symbiosis that gives rise to the post-digital era.
This concept describes the phase in which digital technology is so integrated into everyday life that it is no longer seen as a distinct or innovative phenomenon. In this context, digital technology is considered a fundamental part of daily life and social infrastructure, similar to electricity or the telephone in the past.
It is intriguing how education continues to be the mother of all possibilities.
In this post-digital era, education undergoes significant transformations, reflecting the ubiquitous integration of technology and a new approach to learning and teaching. Yes, the ability to unlearn and relearn becomes a critical skill.
We have reached a moment where anticipatory culture becomes essential, inviting us to reinvent, from now on, the way we will compose new knowledge.
We have moved from a passive role, where concepts are “memorized” and answers corrected with errors and successes, to an active environment of constant co-creation, where multiple paths and new horizons are possible.
THE 3.8 BILLION-YEAR ENCYCLOPEDIA
Nature has been adapting for billions of years. It is a dynamic system that evolves and learns. Imitating and imprinting this ability in our technological advances, ensuring they are aligned with sustainability and resilience principles, can lead to a more harmonious and promising future.
Creating a culture that values diverse perspectives becomes even more critical. Human creativity can offer innovative ideas, while AI can provide the necessary refinement to implement them efficiently.
We are at an unprecedented moment where a new way of thinking is being “authored” in symbiosis with synthetic creativity.
Contemporary education should focus on “extended intelligence,” integrating AI as an extension of human capabilities. In this post-digital era, the synergy between humans and AI not only enriches critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity but also prepares people to explore and maximize their innovative capacities in an increasingly fast-paced world.
ADVANCING TO ACTIVE LEARNING, SUPPORTED BY AI, DELIVERS A LEARNING EFFICIENCY OF UP TO 96%.
It is not just about humans adapting to machines, but about machines understanding and adapting to human nuances, which would be impossible to achieve without a tool with the power of artificial intelligence.
Just as ecosystems thrive on diversity, our approach to creativity and AI must encompass a diverse set of ideas and technologies. It is about creating a symbiotic relationship, where both enhance each other’s capabilities.
There are unexplored territories in human capabilities, and we need help to move forward, colonizing the future, where we can plant the flag of collaborative spirit, made of the most powerful chemical combination in the universe: curiosity.
Nature provides a wealth of inspiration to reimagine education in a digital world that offers a vast range of tools and solutions that already have the potential to redesign the way we do things.
Inspired by nature, we can consider the adaptability of organisms. AI can equally adapt and evolve, learning from various data sets to discover new insights and solutions in an infinite game of exchange with people inside and outside schools and companies.
Inspired by the diversity of nature, AI can adapt educational experiences based on individual learning styles and strengths. This personalization increases engagement and ensures that students develop the most relevant skills for their unique talents, which can only be perceived when combined with the talents of others.
RENEWED HOPE
Like Prometheus, we stand at a crossroads, where artificial intelligence offers a kind of “Enlightenment fire,” renewed with opportunities, but also raises deep ethical and philosophical questions.
However, if we face these challenges with wisdom and sensitivity, we will have the chance to shape a future where education is truly transformative, empowering us to reach new heights of creativity, innovation, and human evolution.
As the Swiss biologist, psychologist, and epistemologist Jean Piaget warned us, the main goal of education is to create people capable of doing new things, “and not simply repeating what other generations have done.”
Thus, as guardians of the fire of knowledge, it is our duty to guide the development of AI for the common good, ensuring that it serves as a powerful tool to empower and elevate humanity, rather than dominate or subjugate it.
In the post-digital environment, each “byte” consumed in cloud servers is a seed planted in the fertile soil of technological progress. These data, perpetually regenerated with each cycle, nourish the promise of a future anchored in freedom.
More than an inevitable destiny, this future is a vibrant invitation for us to engage in an ultra-connected and fluid society, where synthetic intelligence amplifies our collective potential.
However, this advancement is not without costs. Yes, there is always a price to be paid, an intrinsic exchange for the progress we choose to pursue. Are we ready for these challenges?
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In collaboration with Mirian Rodriges
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