Experts Debate Merits of AI in Education
December 20, 2018
By: Dian Schaffhauser
Source: Campus Technology
Will artificial intelligence make most people better off over the next decade, or will it redefine what free will means or what a human being is? A new report by the Pew Research Center has weighed in on the topic by conferring with some 979 experts, who have, in summary, predicted that networked AI “will amplify human effectiveness but also threaten human autonomy, agency and capabilities.”
When the experts were asked whether AI and related technology will by the year 2030 enhance human capacities or allow them to deteriorate, the majority (63 percent) said most people will be better off.
The opportunities cited in “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humans” were far-ranging: “smart systems” built into cities, vehicles and buildings “will save time, money and lives,” and AI-driven uses in healthcare will advance diagnosis and treatment of patients or help people who need daily aid to “live full and healthier lives.” At the same time, as decision-making is turned over to “black box tools,” people will sacrifice their “independence, privacy and power over choice” — an outcome that will “deepen” as automation becomes “more prevalent and complex.” Likewise, job loss is inevitable, “widening economic divides and social upheavals.”
These same experts also weighed in on the expected changes in formal and informal education systems. Many mentioned seeing “more options for affordable adaptive and individualized learning solutions,” such as the use of AI assistants to enhance learning activities and their effectiveness.