Learning Curve

A new paper warns of the dangers of people blindly adopting AI results in what researchers call "cognitive surrender." The lead author believes that with careful adoption, AI can improve education and boost learning. But he says the stakes are high for getting AI right in teaching.   "Thinking—Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender," by Steven D. Shaw and Gideon Nave. "Thinking, Fast and Slow," by Daniel Kahneman.  Steven Shaw's webiste. Episode sponsor: Studiosity  

For this episode we're focusing on how liberal arts colleges are adapting to AI. On a recent day at Carleton College, two very different lunch conversations among faculty reveal the variety of views on whether and how to use AI in teaching.  Thanks to our sponsor, Studiosity “The Hottest College Majors in the AI Age Just Might Be in the Liberal Arts,” in Inc. Carleton College LTC Targeted Audience Lunch - “What Students Think about AI and Learning.” "You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Education," by George Anders. "The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs" by Richard Detweiler.  

For this episode Jeff headed to Washington, DC to sit down with Mark Fisher, the director of a new center at Georgetown University exploring the intersection of AI and democratic citizenship. Fisher points out that democracy has changed before as new tech tools emerged. And he says scholars from many disciplines will need to team up to meet the challenges of this moment. “Guarding Democracy in the Age of AI: When Everyone Has to Do Their Part,” Harvard University Safra Center for Ethics. Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Citizenship initiative at Georgetown University. "Lessons From Minneapolis About AI and Misinformation,” a previous episode of Learning Curve.

What does it mean to teach art and design when free AI tools can generate sophisticated images in just a few seconds?  For this episode we’re diving into that big question. And to do that we’ll hear two stories where students used AI for design – one that led to celebration, and another that sparked controversy.  And we’ll hear from a leader at one of the nation’s leading art and design colleges who is wrestling with how to integrate AI into the curriculum there. "From Text Prompt to Furniture: The Story Behind Babson’s AI Dam Chair," in Babson University's Thought & Action. (With pictures of the chair.) "After AI Allegations, Class of 2026 Picks a New Jacket," in the Princeton Alumni Weekly. "Demand for Integrity for Class of 2026 Jacket," a petition on Change.org.

For this episode Jeff connected with Evan Ratliff, who created what he calls “the world’s first AI-led startup” to see what happens when AI agents run a company. Shell Game podcast, by Evan Ratliff. "Silicon Valley’s New Obsession: Watching Bots Do Their Grunt Work," in The Wall Street Journal.  

A growing number of experts are making the case for requiring students from middle school to college to do more rote memorization — of poems, dates, capitals, and more — to respond to rise of generative AI. "2024 USA Memory Championship (LIVE STREAM)," on YouTube. "Everyday Genius," by Nelson Dellis. "The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI," on ArXiv.

Can thinking the public narrative around robot cars help educators think about the fast-rising trend of generative AI? For this episode, Jeff talked with two experts with books on how to think about teaching and AI — and put them in debate about key differences in their approaches.Books, articles and podcasts mentioned:“Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning,” by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson.“More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI,” by John Warner. “What Is Culture in the Age of A.I.?” by Joshua Rothman in The New Yorker.My interview with writer John McPhee from 2018 on the EdSurge Podcast.“Chemistry Nobel goes to developers of AlphaFold AI that predicts protein structures,” in Nature.

During the ICE surge in Minneapolis, AI is playing a role in this tense and unfolding story, specifically how it is contributing to misinformation. What can educators do to prepare students, and any of us, for this new information landscape where AI is increasingly a factor. Jeff visited the University of Minnesota’s journalism school and talked with a professor who is exploring the role of AI in news, as well as three student journalists covering protests and ICE activity.Links mentioned:Photos, videos and other coverage from The Minnesota Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Minnesota.Trump social media post showing AI generated image of him attacking protesters, and an article about it. "White House shares an altered photo of arrested Minnesota protester Nekima Levy Armstrong," in NBC News.  

Last week the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing about potential legislation banning kids under 13 from using social media. Australia has a new law keeping kids under 16 off the technology. What about new AI tools? Should regulations enforce age limits — and is that even possible given how embedded the tech is becoming?Senate Commerce Committee Hearing, "Plugged Out: Examining the Impact of Technology on America’s Youth."

In the past few months new AI tools known as “Agentic AI” have emerged. These new browsers let users deploy AI assistants that can surf the web on their behalf. While they were designed to do things like book airline tickets or schedule meetings, students can use the tools to have the bot log into learning management systems to take quizzes for them. Anna Mills, a longtime English instructor, has called on AI companies to add a simple guardrail to keep these tools from assisting in academic fraud, just as they refuse to help with hacking or other unethical acts. The situation raises questions about how AI companies are responding to calls by educators to add safeguards to protect learning.LinkedIn post by Anna Mills calling for AI companies to add guardrails to protect learning. “Statement on Educational Technologies and AI Agents” by the Modern Language Association.Video demo by Anna Mills showing an Agentic AI browser taking quizzes in the name of a student.“Tech companies don’t care that students use their AI agents to cheat,” in The Verge.Perplexity ad on social media."The Adoption and Usage of AI Agents: Early Evidence from Perplexity," in ArXiv.

Matt Boudinot’s AI explainer videos and his Auto Service Soft Skills Garage.A super-short version of this episode that ran on APM’s Marketplace."The Best of Car Talk: Some Noises Are Better Than Others,” on NPR.

"1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has," NPR. “How many hours does it take to make a friend?,” research by this week’s guest Jeff Hall.“Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens,” in The New York Times.Talk out the Thomas Jefferson chatbot discussed on this episode.“Programmed for Love,” an article I wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education about Sherry Turkle’s work back in 2011.

“Editorial: AI-proof the Core Curriculum The Core Curriculum is an essential part of a Catholic education that must be saved from AI,” in The Observer, the student newspaper at Notre Dame.LinkedIn post by David Griffith about the student newspaper editorial.AI Is Coming for the Consultants. Inside McKinsey, ‘This Is Existential.’ in The Wall Street Journal"Should Instructors Ask Students to Show Document Histories to Guard Against AI Cheating?” in EdSurge.

More on Bryan Alexander’s forthcoming book, “Peak Higher Education.”“The Diamond Age,” by Neal Stephenson. “Dual Enrollment Leads to More College Acceptances, Greater Financial Awards,” in Inside Higher Education.“Should College Become Part of High School?” on the EdSurge Podcast.Bryan Alexander’s Future Trends Forum.

In the Know, the podcast of the University of Minnesota's student newspaper, The Minnesota Daily."Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College," in New York magazine. 

Demo of Sara Cochran’s AI avatar, University of Virginia websiteSora and Vibes: AI Video Now Officially Going After Social Media, Platformer

“The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren’t Happy About It,” by Kashmir Hill in The New York Times.Northeastern University’s AI use policy.“Automated Essay Writing: An AIED Opinion,” by Mike Sharples in the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education.

DukeGPT“Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College” in New York Magazine.

The Disengaged Teen, by Rebecca Winthrop and Jenny Anderson “Minnesota high school student weighs the benefits and pitfalls of AI,” Minnesota Now“I’m a High Schooler. AI Is Demolishing My Education,” The AtlanticBrookings Global Task Force on AI in Education website‘We Have to Really Rethink the Purpose of Education,’ The Ezra Klein Show.

Watch Matter and Space's video discussed in this episode,  "Butterflies"Read Maha Bali's blog.

The viral research paper that started it all: “Attention Is All You Need.”Mutlu Cukurova's paper discussed in this episode, “The Interplay of Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Vision for Hybrid Intelligence.”Brian Christensen's “The Most Human Human.”Apple Intelligence ad discussed in this episode: Writing Tools.

Teachers and students can't help wondering ... what are we doing here? What's the role of education when AI seems able to do tasks that once seemed uniquely human. The goal of Learning Curve is to inform a conversation about what it means to learn, whether AI could improve education, and which learning needs protecting amid the AI gold rush. Look for the first episode August 20.