My sense is that none of these tools are ready for prime time yet, even if they do have an audience / market. Another thing that strikes me is few students really want to interact with a chatbot - at some point if AI gets to the stage (and I suspect it will eventually) where the interface is more intuitive and natural, perhaps some kind of AI tutor to supplement flesh and blood instructors will make sense, but the quality and reliability simply isn't there yet. I don't know if any of you are familiar with this project (Rebind - https://www.rebind.ai/) which strikes me as an interesting way to leverage some of what you are referring to in this piece, but it still all feels very niche to me at the moment. I suspect schools that are actively following the AI conversation but making more careful and deliberate decisions about how to go about actually integrating AI tools may fare better than ones that jump in with both feet. If the experiment does not go well, it might turn people off to the potential benefits of AI. Better to roll out gradually and thoughtfully and wait until more proven use cases emerge. Right now, genAI clearly needs more seasoning before it is going to have the kind of impact predicted by all the hype.
I second that thought. Most of these tools are not ready for prime time anytime soon, and we're confusing demo videos for evidence of efficacy. I'm on a team building learning tools/experiences, and we are lucky enough to be able to slow-walk the inclusion of AI into our tool. We are excited by the possibilities, but Marc has consistently pointed out a number of potential issues that should give everyone pause. Of all those issues, the one brought up in this post is, I think, the most important: humans are socially driven, very socially sophisticated, and we want to connect, rub elbows, struggle, argue, and grow with other messy and complex humans.
I know from watching small kids go into their very first classroom settings just how powerful the human presence of their teacher is. The idea that a non-player-character of a teacher will have the same sway over those young learners seems very unlikely to me and potentially dangerous psychologically.
Between the lines of a lot of Marc's writing are notes of caution that I think we should listen to. Our students (and ourselves) are not simulations (as far as we know! ;-)), so let's experiment in this area with great caution.
Great post, Marc! I'm a super fan of Saunders and think his work has so much to teach us about our world and each other. He's right, too. All the focus on genAI *writing* obscures the fact that most of us are terrible *readers* and we ignore that side of the equation at our peril. ✌️
I think, for now, and maybe for-ever, we would benefit a lot from thinking of supporting someone, and augmenting their existing abilities, teacher or student, instead of replacing them.
Personally, I am in part an educator, and I most certainly am a student. Both not in the school sense, but in adult life.
For both activities, I have found the use of AI very useful so far. I am well aware that these are preliminary impressions, or results. Time will tell.
Yes, all about frame of mind. I would hate to live in the world where this wasn’t a possibility.
My sense is that none of these tools are ready for prime time yet, even if they do have an audience / market. Another thing that strikes me is few students really want to interact with a chatbot - at some point if AI gets to the stage (and I suspect it will eventually) where the interface is more intuitive and natural, perhaps some kind of AI tutor to supplement flesh and blood instructors will make sense, but the quality and reliability simply isn't there yet. I don't know if any of you are familiar with this project (Rebind - https://www.rebind.ai/) which strikes me as an interesting way to leverage some of what you are referring to in this piece, but it still all feels very niche to me at the moment. I suspect schools that are actively following the AI conversation but making more careful and deliberate decisions about how to go about actually integrating AI tools may fare better than ones that jump in with both feet. If the experiment does not go well, it might turn people off to the potential benefits of AI. Better to roll out gradually and thoughtfully and wait until more proven use cases emerge. Right now, genAI clearly needs more seasoning before it is going to have the kind of impact predicted by all the hype.
I second that thought. Most of these tools are not ready for prime time anytime soon, and we're confusing demo videos for evidence of efficacy. I'm on a team building learning tools/experiences, and we are lucky enough to be able to slow-walk the inclusion of AI into our tool. We are excited by the possibilities, but Marc has consistently pointed out a number of potential issues that should give everyone pause. Of all those issues, the one brought up in this post is, I think, the most important: humans are socially driven, very socially sophisticated, and we want to connect, rub elbows, struggle, argue, and grow with other messy and complex humans.
I know from watching small kids go into their very first classroom settings just how powerful the human presence of their teacher is. The idea that a non-player-character of a teacher will have the same sway over those young learners seems very unlikely to me and potentially dangerous psychologically.
Between the lines of a lot of Marc's writing are notes of caution that I think we should listen to. Our students (and ourselves) are not simulations (as far as we know! ;-)), so let's experiment in this area with great caution.
Great post, Marc! I'm a super fan of Saunders and think his work has so much to teach us about our world and each other. He's right, too. All the focus on genAI *writing* obscures the fact that most of us are terrible *readers* and we ignore that side of the equation at our peril. ✌️
I think, for now, and maybe for-ever, we would benefit a lot from thinking of supporting someone, and augmenting their existing abilities, teacher or student, instead of replacing them.
Personally, I am in part an educator, and I most certainly am a student. Both not in the school sense, but in adult life.
For both activities, I have found the use of AI very useful so far. I am well aware that these are preliminary impressions, or results. Time will tell.