I get it. I’m a critical consumer here even though I am advocating for mass consumption of AI in education. Mass critical consumption. Mass aware and thoughtful consumption. Mass study Joy Buolamwini’s Ted Talk, join The Algorithmic Justice League, learn from this article about the magnitude of bias, apply UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework etc etc etc. Mass led by us for us consumption in education. because it’s not the Segway. (And if you don’t know what the Segway is, perfect.) I’m talking to folks in education, at schools and universities as an insider and outsider, and sometimes it sounds like people are talking about the Segway when they’re talking about AI in education.
“This won’t change how we do things. This needs to be banned on campus. This will go away. This is a false promise.”
People were pretty right when they said that about the Segway. That technology helped with some mobility possibilities. But we’re not all leaning forward to move forward right now. And look, some of the AI claims of grandeur in education are false promises. Especially when the team making the AI for education tool has few connections or understandings of real live schools and students and teachers. Especially if the team making the AI for education tools doesn’t think teachers are professionals.
My claim, and we’ll see if I regret this wholeheartedly, is that AI in education will be like the internet. I’m not inventing this idea, just sharing it here as a part of why sideby exists. Digital inequity is real so not everyone has the internet at home, but schools generally have the internet here in the US. It’s a part of how we operate now. It’s embedded in our day to day. It’s made things easier and more complicated. Just like an unmitigated internet free for all is deeply problematic for schools, the use of untrained AI without practice and critical precision can wreak havoc and reinforce deeply harmful bias and do real damage.
That’s why we need to not ban it, think it will go away, or act as if we’re not going to change with it. And students agree.
This survey shows 40% of teens report having used generative AI for school assignments, with this survey clocking it closer to 70%, AND Pew Research having about 25% of teens surveyed using AI for schoolwork. It’s a mix, but I’m hearing and seeing students use generative AI in educational settings along with keeping an eye on the surveys. Meanwhile, EDWEEK has 2% of teachers using AI-driven tools a lot and 10% using them some in their classrooms and this feels about right from what I’m experiencing in my own work as well. Yikes. This is especially yikes If we view generative AI as a non-Segway like set of tools/tech that are going to be how the world operates and learns moving forward. We need to support teachers, empower them, get them involved in leading policy, initiatives, discussions, explorations, and collaborations with students. At the AI Innovation Summit in Washington state this February, our sideby team heard from the closing panel of students urging education professionals to help them navigate this powerful tool. They asked for guidance and support. They wanted to be ahead of how this will look in the world and in the work force. They need us to step up.
I get why Segways down hallways for all students would create unhelpful blockades. There is some similarity there with policy-less and rudder-less use of AI by all students surrounded by teachers on the back foot of learning this emerging technology. It could feel like a true Segway traffic jam in a hallway. So in this way, yes, they’re similar.
I’ve seen how one conversation can spark a full on revolution for an educator’s work and learning. A pilot of Microsoft Copilot has teachers saving about 9 hours of work per week. I’ve watched folks realize how AI can do this, embrace it, learn it, harness it, and share their explorations along the way. I’ve experienced this as an adjunct professor, in supporting professors, in working with k-12 teachers, and in coaching education leaders. I’ve seen how conversations that turn toward each other, in little bursts, can lead to ripples across a team, a department, and an organization. I believe in the possibility of AI in education on the biggest scale because I’ve seen it and felt it on the small scale.
