AI in Education: Risks and Opportunities

Michael Horn and Diane Tavenner concluded their artificial intelligence-focused series with a discussion about AI in education. They spoke at the AI show in San Diego, from the floor that is filled with educators and edtech companies.

They had previously explored the impact of AI on education, how to shape it, and what people want it to be. They interviewed people with different viewpoints and gained a deeper understanding of the topic.

Beliefs Confirmed

Horn stated that foundational knowledge and skills will continue to be important. He believes AI's transformational uses in education will occur outside traditional schools, through new models that leverage AI. He is skeptical that venture capital will fund these new models, as the time frames for explosive growth are short. He thinks that student-facing applications will be in new models, not traditional ones.

Tavenner believes that schools are not being redesigned. She stated that change will happen outside of traditional schools. She noted that schools tend to focus on the most difficult problems, which are at the center, while AI will be on the periphery.

Beliefs Changed

Tavenner said that her episode with John Bailey changed her mind. Bailey discussed how people now have an expert in their pocket, referring to ChatGPT or Claude. Horn also stated that the series gave him a deeper set of questions regarding which students can take advantage of these tools.

Horn said he has revised his stance, and that there needs to be more thoughtfulness around beliefs and values in an era of AI. Tavenner asked if AI will provoke schools to have conversations about the purpose of education and how to use AI to further that purpose.

Tavenner is also curious if she is missing out on anything by using AI, and if it is creating cognitive laziness. Horn referenced a story about a daughter who couldn’t imagine navigating without a phone. Tavenner feels that there is evidence that brains are not being helped when tasks are taken out of peoples' lives.

Curiosity

Tavenner said that curiosity is having its shining moment, and it is a habit that people will need. She believes the education system rings curiosity out of people, despite people being born curious. Employers want young people who signal that they have a growth mindset, are interested in growing, and want to learn.

Horn worries that if people do not have enough foundational knowledge, they will be less creative in the world of AI and unable to ask big questions. Tavenner mentioned that it took a long time for America to fully adopt electricity after it was invented. She learned from ChatGPT that there was infrastructure, a cost, and a lack of immediate need or use.

Horn mentioned that the adoption of dryers was slow because the component into which it fit in the house had to be changed. He stated that people don’t have conversations about how much to redesign to make AI useful.

Tavenner believes people will blur the time period it takes to adopt AI. Horn expressed his belief that some dynamics could change around disruptive innovation actually now being welcomed for the first time. They stated that they have even more questions and curiosity now.

Horn stated that AI will have a big impact on individuals and will be pervasive. He thinks AI is massively throwing the old world curriculum out the window, particularly in high school.

Tavenner mentioned that Gavin Newsom has a new podcast. Horn is reading Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah.