Hi. My name is
Dagogo Altraide and the following
is a collaboration between my YouTube
channel ColdFusion and the ABC.
Many people
may not be aware of this,
but the current education
system is a leftover relic from the Industrial
Revolution.
Kids were brought together in a classroom
facing an instructor
in order to be trained for factory work.
The world has changed massively since then,
but the education system
isn't really keeping up.
There isn't much room for catering
to the needs of each student,
and with AI systems
such as ChatGPT,
the homework can even be done automatically.
So what's the point anymore?
Could there be another way?
There are many fears around AI today,
but what if we think about it
a bit differently?
Imagine a world where
every child or young
adult could get a world class education
with a custom tutor for free.
This is the promise
that artificial intelligence
has - an adaptive,
living, breathing textbook.
But it begs a very important question.
In this future, what is the value
of a university degree?
In the second episode of this
three part series on
AI, we’ll take a look.
In China,
some classrooms are opting
to use AI in order to scan the brainwaves
of students to see if they're concentrating.
The aim is to improve classroom
attention and improve
student grades.
This heavy handed approach
is dystopian to many.
It will be the nightmare of most children.
But there are more subtle
and arguably better ways of implementing AI
in the classroom.
In April of 2023,
Bill Gates stated
that AI chatbots will teach
kids to read in 18 months.
“You'll be stunned
by how it helps.
The AI’s will get that ability
to be as good a tutor
as any human ever could.”
And he very well may be correct.
AI can enhance personalised
learning by analysing
students learning patterns,
strengths and weaknesses,
allowing educators
to tailor their teaching methods
to individual needs.
This can result in more
effective and engaging learning
experiences.
Adaptive learning
platforms could adjust their content
and pacing to optimise
for student outcomes.
Currently,
if a student is lagging
behind on a particular subject, this affects
the confidence and performance
in the rest of that subject.
With AI, the students can have
unlimited training and instruction
until they master that
particular area.
The AI system
will provide a back and forth
conversational style
tailored to the student.
These intelligent
tutoring systems can provide
individualised support
and feedback to students
acting as virtual assistants
to help them navigate complex
topics and address
misconceptions.
For those of us that are older,
I'm sure we would have loved
something like this to exist
when we were in school.
These systems can also work
in tandem with human teachers.
It can ensure that every student
receives the attention they need to succeed.
A student could input
a photo of the handwritten algebra homework
and an AI system such as ChatGPT4,
which is now multimodal,
meaning it can recognise
images and text,
could scan the paper
and instruct the student
on where they're going wrong.
On the teacher's end,
AI can automate grading
and provide real time feedback for students.
This allows teachers to focus on
the more value added tasks
and grading consistency.
AI can also optimise
resource allocation in educational institutions
by analysing data
on student performance,
course enrolment
and facility usage.
This can lead to a more efficient
and a more effective educational system.
But there's also another aspect to this -
an elephant in the room.
If an AI system such as ChatGPT
can answer basically any question
you ask, students can use it
to do assignments and other classwork.
Although there are defensive
AI systems that can detect
AI generated text,
they're not going to be perfect and the AI generators
will improve over time,
making them redundant.
Eventually, this is going to turn into an
arms race between the AI
text generators and detectors.
So the question must be
asked, are university degrees
still worth it?
According to Statista, in Australia
the share of the population
with a university degree at bachelor's
level or above
has increased by more
than six times from 1989
to 2022.
In 2022,
it reached 50.8 per cent.
This increased supply of graduates has negatively
affected the value of degrees
and graduate wages.
Meanwhile,
the price of education
has skyrocketed.
Starting out your professional life
with debt and the flooded market of peers
has many asking, what's the point?
And who can blame them?
This sentiment has existed
for a little while,
but with generative
AI coming on the scene, it seems like
some white collar jobs will disappear too.
AI is proving to be great for business,
which is a future problem
for the humans entering the workforce.
In fact, IBM recently announced
that they were replacing
7,800 jobs with AI,
and more companies are following suit.
As per a 2022 McKinsey
and Company report, the effect
of AI in respect of sectors
is stark.
According to the survey they ran, here
are the cost decreases
because of AI.
Supply chain management 52
per cent, service operations
45 per cent,
and strategy and finance
43 per cent.
Revenue increases:
Marketing and sales
70 per cent, product development
70 per cent, strategy
and finance 65 per cent.
So as the slow
march of AI continues,
is it still worth going to uni?
Well, there are some things to consider.
A good
university education
should also have a focus
on developing critical thinking,
problem solving
and communication skills,
and this will still be crucial
in a world swamped with AI.
AI can give you an answer, but is it correct?
Does the output align
with what's required?
Moreover,
critical thinking skills can be transferable
across various industries
and are less likely to be replaced
by AI systems.
Number two,
diverse learning experiences.
A university degree
offers students exposure
to diverse subjects
and learning experiences.
This should foster
a well-rounded understanding
of the world and promote
lifelong learning.
This broad perspective can be beneficial
in a constantly changing job market,
where adaptability is key.
And finally,
networking opportunities.
Universities
provide students with opportunities
to build networks and establish connections
with peers, faculty
and industry professionals.
These
interpersonal relationships
can prove invaluable
when navigating the job market
and advancing one's career.
Collaboration
and communication skills
are often found at universities,
and they're very important and a skill
that can't be replaced with A.I.,
at least not yet.
With a ban on
AI systems being impractical, universities
are battling an arms race against
intelligent systems.
In some ways, they can help students
and even the university be more efficient.
But on the other hand,
it's a giant wake up call
for traditional education.
Memorising
and information retention
will have to be replaced with hands
on interactive
and critical thinking methods of teaching.
The Australian
National University has seen
what's coming and decided
to take decisive action.
ANU has opted to change
the design of assessments
to focus more on lab activities
and fieldwork.
Exams, on the other
hand, will be more focused
on oral presentations.
This is probably a good direction to go
in, in my view.
Over in South Australia,
some universities have allowed for the use of
in assignment work,
but only under the condition
that it's disclosed.
Amanda Janssen,
an academic developer
at the University of South Australia,
explains to the Goulburn
Post: “We
have to look at our assessments
and consider how we can work
with the students and with artificial intelligence
to make sure our students
aren't left behind.
We have advice that
academic staff members
should be communicating with their students
how it should and shouldn't be used
and where students can use it.”
The University of Western
Australia is still working on a framework,
but states that undisclosed
sources are not permitted.
So although there is still a need
for a lot of the skills that universities provide,
it's still useful for those considering
what to study, to think carefully about what
aspects of their career could be replaced with AI.
It's uncomfortable but prudent.
For those who are STEM
focused, universities may find it useful
to include sections of the curriculum
that include neural networks
and computer science aspects.
Thanks for watching
and check out the ABC if you want to see some other stuff.