AI in the next 20 years: A harbinger of a society enriched or depleted?

By Dr. Pontian Kabeera

A few years ago, resolutions were made to address contemporary problems and prepare for future challenges by developing a new curriculum.

Implementation began immediately, with key objectives focused on cultivating competencies and skills needed for the job market. These skills, including critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, were diverse and aimed to meet the evolving demands of society.

However, just as stakeholders in the education sector were beginning to grasp the competence-based curriculum, AI initiated a paradigm shift in education.

Now, some students, teachers, policymakers, and others no longer engage in deep thought; instead, they simply command AI to perform tasks a societal shift that has sparked intense debate.

Has AI enriched our knowledge or depleted it? The reception of this new knowledge hub varies widely.

Some view AI's role in simplifying tasks as a religious blessing, while others debate whether its ease of access compromises true understanding and innovation.

Without ethical regulations, AI poses risks to individual creativity and knowledge. This ongoing discussion highlights the need for thoughtful consideration and regulation as we navigate AI's impact on education and society at large.

As I pondered the future of education in the age of Artificial Intelligence, a colleague expressed deep concern about the same subject matter,  "I fear a future where students no longer engage in discussions, read, or write essays, but instead rely on AI to do all the work, even in group settings. We should all be concerned about the future of our societies," .

The pioneers of knowledge would have wanted to see future generations using the best available books to read, research, and firmly establish their place in the world of knowledge. This vision seems unlikely in an era dominated by artificial intelligence.

Students and other distinguished researchers of the past meticulously crafted research surveys and questions that have shaped the world we enjoy today.

They possessed knowledge and inspired millions to pursue it. Today, we turn to AI for knowledge, claim it as our own, and urge others to follow suit.

Proponents of knowledge such as Plato would most likely be concerned that AI-driven educational technologies could promote passive learning rather than active engagement.

For example, Plato’s philosophical approach, as seen in the Socratic dialogues, emphasizes the importance of questioning, debate, and dialectic in the pursuit of knowledge.

AI may provide answers and solutions based on algorithms and data, but Plato would argue that true learning requires the active participation of students in critical inquiry and the exploration of diverse perspectives.

Education should not be constructed only as a means to acquire knowledge but also as a pathway to moral and ethical development.

In this case, educators play a crucial role in shaping the character and values of their students. One wonders how AI can navigate this Yet it lacks the capacity for moral reasoning and cannot instill virtues such as justice, courage, and moderation in the way that human mentors can through example, discussion, and personal interaction.

I have for example seen many educators romanticizing AI and many are using it to even design lesson plans and have gone as far as providing the teaching Aids are concerned.

I find this leading us to the Homogenization of Learning through standardizing and optimizing educational content based on aggregated data and algorithms.

Subsequently this will undermine the diversity of thought and the cultivation of individual talents and interests that Plato believed were essential for a well-rounded education because education involves tailoring instruction to the individual needs and capacities of each student, known as the theory of Forms.

As I conclude what the proponents of AI, would call backward thinking in the contemporary times, I want us to reflect quantitatively on Plato's allegory of the cave and his vision of the philosopher-kings as guardians of truth and knowledge.

In this piece of work, there is a deep-seated concern for ensuring that education serves the broader societal good and promotes understanding of fundamental truths.

Therefore, AI in education is very decent and upright to the new innovation and the skyrocketing society we live in but if not carefully monitored and guided by human educators, could potentially distort or oversimplify complex ideas, undermine critical thinking, and promote superficial understanding rather than genuine intellectual growth.

The writer is Lecturer of Comparative Education at Victoria University

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