On May 10th 2023, Google organised their annual flagship event featuring the latest technological announcements and updates called Google I/O.
Fun fact: The name "I/O" is taken from the number googol, with the "I" representing the "1" in googol and the "O" representing the first "0" in the number.
During the 2-hour keynote speech, the word ‘AI’ was mentioned a whopping 140 times.
It became quite obvious that Google is all-in on this AI stuff. It's not just a tech trend; it's their mantra for the future. It's like they're on a mission to sprinkle a bit of AI magic into every corner of our lives.
And it’s not just them.
Samsung recently released their new Galaxy S24 in an announcement video which was just them flexing the phone’s new AI muscles, and Microsoft is literally just shoving AI down into Windows users' throats with their Copilot feature.
Even on LinkedIn, people who once called themselves ‘Web3 Gurus’ are now ‘AI Productivity Experts’.
So what is this hype all about? Why are so many people jumping on this AI bandwagon? Is it the same as the infamous Crypto Bubble?
In this article, I try to answer these questions and explain what it means for the future of education.
The Hype Paradox
New technologies often follow a predictable cycle of hype before eventually cooling down. There's a psychological reason for this pattern.
When something novel first emerges, it captures our imagination and we extrapolate its potential impact. Our expectations get ahead of reality. We envision grand utopian visions of how the tech could transform society.
In psychology, this is a cognitive bias known as the overconfidence effect.
When we encounter something new, we tend to overestimate our ability to predict how it will unfold. This overconfidence leads us to make very optimistic forecasts that underestimate the obstacles and challenges.
But then the novelty wears off. We gain more experience and a practical understanding of the tech's actual capabilities and limitations in the real world. Our forecasts come back down to earth.
We've seen this hype cycle play out many times before.
In the early days of the internet, predictions abounded of an upcoming online utopia that would connect humanity in unprecedented ways. What the early internet boosters failed to anticipate was the now obvious pitfalls like misinformation, hacking, and toxic online behaviour
.When social media first emerged, people spoke of it as revolutionary for empowering individuals. But issues like online bullying and polarization revealed deeper pitfalls.
The trajectory of crypto and web3 has followed a similar arc. The initial mania and lofty ambitions have given way to a more sober assessment of the challenges and tradeoffs.
Experts call this the hype cycle - a predictable pattern of initial overexcitement followed by disillusionment before achieving a balanced understanding.
The overconfidence effect gives us rosy visions of new technology. But reality inevitably humbles our expectations. Hype fades as we gain experience with both the benefits and limitations.
But for some reason, AI is not like the others. It might actually deserve all the hype it’s getting. It might actually be different.
Why is AI Different?
AI represents a monumental leap in the power of software, unlike anything we've seen before. When I pause to comprehend its full capabilities, I'm filled with both wonder and trepidation.
Past technologies improved narrowly defined tasks like calculators for math or maps for navigation. But AI has achieved something resembling intellectual breadth and versatility. Systems like ChatGPT can understand language, generate text, explain concepts, and more across diverse topics. This reveals a capacity for general intelligence, unlike previous software.
And AI's skills are not pre-programmed by hand but learned automatically from data at a scale and speed impossible for humans. Given enough data, computing power and algorithmic innovation, AI can keep expanding what it is capable of. It's like software that writes itself.
The deeper implications of this hit me when using ChatGPT. I posed increasingly complex questions, and it kept up intelligently. I requested poetry, jokes, code, and dialogue - it performed them all fluidly. Every time I thought I found its limits, they receded further. It feels like barely tapping the potential of an infinitely capable machine.
What we've seen so far may just be the Wright brothers' first airplane compared to the AI moonshots that lie ahead. If perfected, algorithms like ChatGPT could accelerate scientific discovery, increase productivity, improve education and healthcare, reduce drudgery, and expand human potential. Building safe and ethical AI for good could profoundly empower humanity at a rate that humans could only dream of.
The scariest, or maybe most exciting, part is that AI is growing and improving at an exponential rate. There are rumours that GPT5 is already around the corner and will be multiple times more powerful than GPT4.
I’m a tech enthusiast. But sometimes I really don’t know how to feel about this. Something with such god-like powers can either help us achieve our goal of equalising educational opportunities or increase the digital divide like never before.
But is education ready for this?
Is education ready for this?
The short answer is NO. We are largely unprepared for this technology's emergence. Many teachers still lack a basic understanding of what AI is and how to harness it responsibly. Many still conflate AI with science fiction depictions rather than pragmatic classroom applications. Urgent work is needed to get schools ready.
There have been some commendable efforts by some states like the state of North Carolina recently released an excellent AI guide for K-12 teachers brilliantly authored by Vera Cubero and her team assisted by AI for Education. This exemplary resource provides practical grounding in AI concepts tailored for educators.
The rise of AI calls on schools to re-evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and learning objectives. Education must evolve to produce graduates equipped not just with technical skills, but the creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability to work symbiotically with AI.
Here are 7 steps we can take to get ready:
Provide AI fundamentals training for all teachers - All teachers should receive training on AI basics including how AI systems work, key capabilities, limitations, biases, and ethical implications. This builds a shared knowledge foundation.
Create curriculum on AI literacy and ethics - New curriculum modules need to be developed focusing on critical AI topics that empower students to use AI responsibly and ethically. These should be standardized across schools.
Update teacher training programs - Teacher education programs should integrate AI mastery into their core competencies. The next generation of teachers needs to enter schools ready to teach students about AI.
Establish partnerships with AI experts - Ongoing consultation with AI researchers and ethicists will help inform education leaders on how to adapt systems and standards for integrating AI responsibly.
Audit existing tech for responsible AI practices - Schools need to ensure any AI applications used in the classroom meet high standards of fairness, transparency, accountability and security. Problematic tools should be phased out.
Create leadership roles focused on AI - Appointing dedicated AI leadership within school districts and state education departments can drive unified strategies, policies, and best practices for AI education.
Learn from peers through AI communities of practice - Groups, where educators share ideas and effective approaches to teaching with AI, can accelerate knowledge development across schools.
AI will impact education whether we prepare for it or not. Our choice is to shape AI's role constructively.
In a nutshell
The winds of technological change are blowing, and AI's ascent seems inevitable. As we've seen throughout history, we can either be buffeted aimlessly by the winds of change or adjust our sails to harness their power. With AI, the stakes feel higher than ever before.
AI will impact all of humanity, but to what end? Like any tool, it holds the potential for both great progress and grave unintended consequences. The difference between the two may come down to wisdom - our ability to understand AI deeply and govern it ethically.
The hype cycle will come and go, but our values must remain steady. Let prudence, not panic or ignorance guide us. The AI genie is out of the bottle, but if we rub it the right way, our greatest wishes may just come true.
Our education systems must empower the young generation to take the helm. Equip them not just with technical prowess, but even more importantly with the wisdom to wield it responsibly. We are the authors of our AI-infused future. Let the story we write be one of empowerment over-exploitation, hope over fear. Set our sails true.
The destination is uncertain, but that makes the voyage all the more meaningful. With courage, care and moral imagination, we can ensure that AI promotes the enduring dignity and potential of humanity. Our shared journey continues.
Happy International Day of Education 2024.
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I’m so interested by AI. Almost always, a meteoric rise is followed by an almost equally huge downfall. No idea whether this’ll happen - genuinely fascinated to see what happens next!
Bechem, excellent article and thanks for acknowledging North Carolina’s leadership.
Question: I notice that your office is in Cameroon, do you offer your consulting services to schools in Europe and North America?