GEF Madrid 2024: Globalising Education with AI

Summary

In a thought-provoking panel discussion, experts from diverse sectors explore the potential of AI in revolutionizing global education. They address challenges like digital divides and the need for critical thinking, while highlighting AI's capacity to personalize learning and foster cross-cultural understanding. The conversation underscores the importance of equitable access to technology and the ethical use of AI in enhancing educational outcomes for all.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The panel discussion revolves around the impact of AI on global collaboration and cross-cultural understanding in education, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of the speakers.
• 🏫 AI is seen as a potential force for transformation in education, especially in addressing scalability and adapting to different cultures and socioeconomic groups.
• 👨‍🏫 There is a debate on the role of AI in personalizing education content and experience, with the potential to reach geographically and economically diverse populations.
• 🔍 The discussion touches on the challenges of AI in education, including the digital divide, ethical use of data, and the need for teacher training.
• 🎓 The founder of Minerva Project emphasizes the importance of rethinking the current educational model, which is more focused on certification than education.
• 📚 The founder of Znotes discusses the platform's role in empowering students to become active creators and proponents in their learning process through technology.
• 👥 A Brookings Council member points out the foundational need for digital literacy and critical thinking skills before advanced AI integration.
• 💡 An optimistic view is presented that AI could potentially improve education in under-resourced areas by providing more personalized learning experiences.
• 🔑 The importance of equal access to technology for leveling the educational playing field is emphasized, with the acknowledgment of the current digital divide.
• 🤖 Concerns are raised about the potential for AI to exacerbate existing inequalities if not implemented thoughtfully and equitably.
• 🌟 The panel concludes with a call to action for humanity to decide the future direction of AI in education, focusing on inclusion, efficiency, and ethical considerations.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the discussion in the provided script?

The main focus of the discussion is how AI can foster global collaboration and cross-cultural understanding, especially in the context of education.

What are some of the backgrounds of the speakers in the discussion?

The speakers have diverse backgrounds including the private sector, public sector, early-stage startups, scale-ups, mature companies, and NGOs.

What are some of the challenges mentioned in the traditional education system without AI?

Challenges include scalability, reaching different geographies, accommodating different cultures, and addressing various socio-economic groups.

How does AI have the potential to transform education, according to the discussion?

AI has the potential to personalize education content and experience, making it adaptable to different geographies, socio-economic statuses, and cultures.

Who is Enrique, and what is his background?

Enrique, also known as Kiri, is a senior partner with 20+ years at McKinsey, with experience working in 30 countries globally, focusing on telecom, media, tech, and education in Spain and Portugal. He also has a passion for education and has teaching experience at various universities.

What unique perspective does Ben Nelson bring to the discussion?

Ben Nelson is the founder of the Minerva Project, which focuses on reforming higher education for a post-AI world. He emphasizes that their approach was futuristic, starting in 2013, and discusses the need for educational reform to align with the advancements in AI.

What role does digital literacy play in the context of AI and education, as mentioned in the discussion?

Digital literacy is crucial for accessing and effectively using AI tools in education, especially for disadvantaged populations such as displaced refugees who may not be digital natives.

What is a key concern regarding the use of AI in education highlighted by Mark?

Mark highlights the concern of AI interacting with children and collecting data without full control by teachers, which could impact critical thinking and how data is used in the future for decisions like employment or insurance.

How does AI already play a role in education, according to the discussion?

AI is already being used by students for various purposes, such as using chatbots for writing papers and using platforms like TikTok for learning and information. Institutions are catching up to these trends.

What are some potential barriers to scaling AI in education mentioned in the discussion?

Barriers include the current educational institutions' focus on certification rather than actual education, digital divide issues, and ensuring equitable access to AI technology and resources.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to Diverse Panel on AI in Global Education

The script begins with the moderator expressing honor in leading a diverse panel of speakers from various backgrounds including private and public sectors, startups, mature companies, and NGOs. The focus is on understanding AI's role in fostering global collaboration and cross-cultural understanding. The moderator, Enrique Gonal, introduces himself as a Senior Partner at McKinsey with a passion for education and technology, having worked in multiple countries and taught at various institutions including MIT and a business school.

05:01

🌟 Panelists' Backgrounds and Perspectives on AI in Education

Each panelist introduces themselves and their work related to AI and education. Ben Nelson, founder of Minerva Project, discusses higher education reform in a post-AI world. An edtech startup founder addresses educational inequalities through free resources. Andrew Aron, board member of various organizations, talks about using AI for youth education and job readiness. Magdalena, from the Spanish Global Foundation, discusses improving education in vulnerable environments. The moderator highlights the impressive work of the panelists and the importance of their mission.

10:02

💡 Discussion on AI's Potential to Bridge Educational Divides

The panel delves into how AI can benefit individuals and collective groups regardless of economic status or geographic location. They discuss the mainstream discussion about AI's impact on education and the challenges of scalability and cultural adaptation. The conversation touches on the hope that AI can transform education, personalizing content and experience for diverse groups, and the importance of considering unconnected populations in the benefits of AI.

15:03

🔍 Exploring AI's Role in Education and Socioeconomic Disparities

The script presents a debate on the accessibility and impact of AI in education, highlighting the potential for AI to exacerbate existing socioeconomic disparities. It discusses the disproportionate access to AI tools by the wealthy and the challenges in ensuring equitable opportunities. The panelists share anecdotes and data on the effectiveness of educational tools and the potential for AI to offer personalized learning experiences.

20:06

🤔 Critical Considerations for AI Integration in Education

The panelists express the need for critical thinking in the integration of AI into education. They discuss the potential risks, such as the loss of critical skills and the replication of existing hierarchies within AI technology. The conversation emphasizes the importance of maintaining control, assessing risks, and considering the long-term implications of AI on educational outcomes.

25:08

🚀 Overcoming Barriers to Scale AI in Education Globally

The discussion shifts to the barriers that prevent the scaling of AI in education. Panelists consider the role of educational institutions, the certification versus education divide, and the need for realignment in the educational system to embrace AI effectively. They also touch on the importance of understanding AI's full value and the potential for it to increase workloads in education.

30:10

🌐 Addressing the Digital Divide and Data Representation in AI

The panelists recognize the digital divide as a critical issue before implementing AI globally. They discuss the importance of data representation in AI tools, noting that current data may be biased towards specific socioeconomic statuses and cultures. The conversation emphasizes the need for diverse data representation to ensure AI tools are inclusive and do not exacerbate existing barriers.

35:13

🏆 Final Thoughts on AI's Impact and the Future of Education

In conclusion, the panelists share their final thoughts, expressing a mix of optimism and caution regarding AI's impact on education. They highlight the potential for AI to improve communication and writing skills but also stress the importance of maintaining the human element in reasoning and analysis. The panel concludes with a call for critical assessment, equal access to technology, and the importance of deciding the future direction of AI in education.

Keywords

💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. In the context of the video, AI is central to discussions on how it can foster global collaboration and cross-cultural understanding, particularly in education. It is highlighted as a transformative force with the potential to personalize education and address scalability challenges across different geographies and cultures.

💡Global Collaboration

Global collaboration implies working together across different countries and cultures to achieve a common goal. The video emphasizes the role of AI in enhancing global collaboration by breaking down geographical and cultural barriers in education, allowing for the sharing of knowledge and resources on a global scale.

💡Cross-cultural Understanding

Cross-cultural understanding is the ability to comprehend and effectively interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. The script discusses how AI can facilitate this understanding by personalizing educational content and experiences to accommodate diverse cultural perspectives and needs.

💡Educational Inequality

Educational inequality refers to the disparities in access to and quality of education among different socioeconomic groups. The video script mentions AI's potential to address these inequalities by providing free educational resources and support to students and teachers worldwide, thereby leveling the educational playing field.

💡Personalization

Personalization in education means tailoring the learning experience to meet individual students' needs, interests, and abilities. The script discusses AI's role in personalizing not only the content of education but also the learning experience, making it more relevant and effective for each student, regardless of their location or background.

💡Scalability

Scalability is the ability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work. In the script, the challenge of scaling educational models to new geographies and cultures is mentioned, and AI is presented as a solution that could make this transformation possible by automating and optimizing educational processes.

💡Digital Natives

Digital natives are individuals who have grown up in a digital environment and are comfortable with technology from an early age. The video script refers to how digital natives, such as Gen Z, are already leveraging AI and technology in their learning, choosing to use tools like chat GPT without needing institutional permission.

💡Educational Institutions

Educational institutions are organizations that provide educational services, such as schools, colleges, and universities. The script suggests that these institutions may need to rethink their role from certification bodies to actual educators in the context of AI, to ensure that the benefits of AI are realized in terms of improved learning outcomes.

💡Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to modern information and communication technology and those who lack it. The video script highlights the importance of addressing the digital divide as a prerequisite for implementing AI in education, especially in vulnerable environments and emerging markets.

💡Generative AI

Generative AI refers to AI systems that can create new content, such as text, images, or music. The script discusses generative AI's potential and challenges in education, including the need for critical thinking about its deployment and the ethical considerations of data representation and usage.

💡Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining critical thinking skills in the age of AI, as it is crucial for educators and students to assess the impact of AI tools and ensure they are used responsibly and effectively in education.

Highlights

The discussion emphasizes the potential of AI to foster global collaboration and cross-cultural understanding in education.

Participants represent diverse backgrounds including private and public sectors, startups, and NGOs, indicating a broad perspective on AI in education.

AI is seen as a transformative force with the capability to address scalability and cultural differences in education.

The role of AI in personalizing education content and experience is highlighted as a key area of discussion.

Challenges in traditional education models are acknowledged, such as reaching different geographies and socioeconomic groups.

The importance of education in an interconnected world is underscored, with AI as a potential multiplier for positive change.

The panel includes experts from various fields such as law, tech startups, and education reform, offering a multidisciplinary view on AI in education.

AI's potential to democratize education by overcoming geographical and cultural barriers is discussed.

The digital divide and the need for equal access to technology are identified as significant barriers to AI's impact on education.

Ethical considerations and the responsible use of AI in education are raised as important factors for successful integration.

The role of AI in enhancing the quality of education in vulnerable environments is explored, with case studies from UNESCO.

The potential of AI to increase efficiency in education is contrasted with the risk of deskilling educators and students.

The discussion points to the need for critical thinking in evaluating AI's role in education and its impact on learning outcomes.

The importance of data representation in AI tools is highlighted, with concerns about potential biases based on available data.

The panel agrees on the necessity of addressing the digital divide as a prerequisite for AI integration in education globally.

The closing remarks call for a critical and optimistic approach to AI in education, emphasizing the need for investment and inclusion.

Transcripts

you know it's it's a you know an honor

obviously to to moderate you know this

group of of people we have five

distinctive speakers plus a couple of

additional guest speak you know plus you

know a big audience you know on

streaming that actually is is listening

to us right um uh and the backgrounds

you know you will introduce yourself

briefly but it's quite an interesting

group of people here because we have

backgrounds from private sector from

public sector we have background you

know from early

stages startups scale UPS uh maturity

companies NGO so we cover a bit broad

spectrum of people and we hope you know

with this

conversation uh that you are going to

help us you know to understand how AI is

uh going to Foster you know basically

you know

Global collaboration and you know

crosscultural understanding right so

that's basically the basis of of of all

conversation so a bit of context that of

course we we know that for the people on

on

streaming uh in an quite

increasingly International you know uh

environment in which we are we are

moving on you know a much more

interconnected World obviously education

is a core and center and it's going to

play quite a pivotal role in the saving

of the future right and it's because of

this interconnectivity of course this is

going to take you know you know

multiplier effect what I I I I like to

to say right um what if we think about

the

traditional education meaning without a

ey if I may H there has been quite a lot

of challenges right on how to address

the scalability of the model how to go

into new geographies different

geographies different cultures different

socioeconomical uh you know groups of

people right and we hope and I think

this group hes have this hope that AI

could be really the true Force to make

this transformation possible right and

that's a bit of the the concept the

content I also understand a bit from

some of you on on the previous uh

debates that that we have that you're

going to talk also a little bit about

how AI can personalize not only the

content of the education but also the

experience and bring this to different

geographers different socio economical

you know uh statuses different uh

cultures and adapt it all right which is

also you know quite quite unique so with

all that in mind you know let's start

maybe a bit of first round of knowing

who is on the table who is here today

with us and and then we move up to

questions maybe I I can start uh myself

and then we can maybe do a bit of a

round so I'm Enrique gonal many people

call me Kiri so feelit free Enrique or

Kiri

and Senior partner 20 plus years at

McKenzie have a bit of a global picture

having work in 30 30 countries uh

globally I Le Telecom Media Tech and

education in Iberia Spain and Portugal

so that's part of the reason I'm here

but to be honest the main reason I'm

here is have a passion of location I

really believe that's the motor of

change and I combine this McKenzie role

with uh you know some teaching

experience so I I was teacher actually

and someone mentioned that as the kids

an e so here it's a University

Engineering University I teach in the

past then I teach at

MIT um MBA then not anymore now I teach

here in I business school and un so as

you see you know I also have a bit of a

passion so I want to really you know get

a bit of your brains and you know power

to to learn from you guys right so with

that maybe you know we can start with a

bit of an introduction h mark do you

want to start and then Ben and we

forward um well I'll say hello you I

think know me as the founder of the

center for AI and digital policy I have

um two other hats at least uh one I'm

also a professor at Georgetown law where

I teach uh

gdpr and I told my uh students this

semester that if they used generative AI

to write their papers I would use

generative AI to grade them

so this was our

deal um and you know as I mentioned also

I'm a chess player but also a chess

instructor and so I'm interested in in

the role of uh AI particularly in

Scholastic environments where you know

people have great exposure to

Technologies and we can see you know a

lot of Rapid progress but there also

some

costs

so I'm Ben Nelson I'm the founder of the

manura project which initially built

manura University and uh now builds

manura programs all over the world we're

focused on

reforming uh higher education in uh for

a post aai world of course we we assumed

the post AI world would happen in 2013

uh not in 2023 so we were a little bit

early to the game but that just means

that we we live in the

future hi everyone my name is a I am the

founder of an ettech startup uh called

znotes znotes is addressing inequalities

in education especially at Secondary

School examinations and we do so by

providing free educational resources and

peer learning support that has benefited

over 5 million students and teachers in

190

countries amazing hi I'm um Andrew Aron

crant I'm here in my board capacity um

wearing several hats um one I'm on the

Brookings Council on universal education

um also I'm on The Advisory Board of the

International Rescue committee so a

large humanitarian Refugee organization

that does education um but more

specifically with AI I'm also Board of a

smaller Teen um youth Refugee nonprofit

that's providing a long-term holistic

Solution that's leveraging Cutting Edge

ideas like design thinking oriented

curriculum um sort of at the

intersection of Youth education

well-being and job Readiness and we

started with digital literacy we

expanded into entrepreneurship and

Leadership and now have 300 hours of

deep curriculum um and just recently

piloted several um modules on

AI hello my name is Magdalen I am the

general manager of the Spanish Global

foundation called profuturo is dedicated

to education to improve education and to

provide quality education in very

vulnerable environments in in Latin

America um Africa and Asia we have

reached uh more than 4 million students

we dedicate ourselves to um primary

schools and teachers to train teachers

and how to acquire

um pedagogical Innovation using

technology and how to apply that in the

classroom in those unconnected

environments using technology and we

have trained more than 1 million

teachers we were founded in

2016 and we are the combination of two

big Spanish foundations from

telica Fantastic wow so quite quite

impressive what you five are doing and

especially the purpose of what you are

doing right so fantastic uh you know

expertise so let let's start maybe with

the first question that I think appli to

most of you and maybe Malena you you can

start and then maybe we open the mics to

some of you to to jump in but feel free

to you know open and talk you know at

any point in time the first one uh goes

ear to the point of how

can um AI benefit individuals and

Collective PE you know groups of people

independent of the economic situation

geographic location a status how can we

make it happen so uh from from our

experience I mean the discussion about

AI at present is mainst stream

everybody's talking about AI about

technology about the impact in education

if if teachers are going to disappear if

course skills for Teacher are going to

disappear and even media and and policy

makers are are are asking us to ban H

children from using technology and uh we

don't hear very much about the

opportunity that is for the for the most

part for biggest part of the world that

is really vulnerable in this sense so

most of the world is not connected has

not access to all this technology and in

fact technology is the is the is the is

the only door they have to to to

education so we have to uh to take into

consider to to understand how to uh have

all this unconnected population also

sharing from the benefits of AI and and

technology so in this sense from this P

perspective as a social project that's

what we are and we take care of this

vulnerable environments we have produced

U Already in

2019 um a report together with UNESCO uh

trying to analyze some case studies on

how to take profit of of data improving

quality and

inclusive education inner in vulnerable

environments in the world what to be

considered and the challenges of those

of that uh research were mainly to make

sure that uh that there's access to data

uh in in all uh you know in all

countries in the world that there there

are policies that take care of of of the

introduction of the development of AI in

education in in in the different

countries that there is an there is

ethic and transparency in the use of

data and that teachers are trained in

how to be getting power in how to use AI

so all those challenges there are

already uh that was produced like before

all this generative AI discussion but I

think that they are still h on the table

and uh we have also produced together

with o eii it's it's an organization for

the io American states uh in 2023 and a

report about what are H what what is the

situation of AI in Latin America and the

conclusions of that report were that in

fact H the population teachers the

education Community H they they they

understood that um AI was a was a a

trending topic but very far from them so

really not take taking part of their

day-to-day activity and that they were

very positive about the about the

benefits that AI uh and data management

in education could bring uh to improve

their education

systems I don't know if someone wants to

follow or I can point out someone you

prefer I can I can jump in pleas um and

I want to take a a slightly different

angle to this so for the whole of the

last couple hours of the today we've

been talking about Ai and education as

if something we need to build um I will

argue that AI is already in education uh

because students are choosing to use Ai

and Technology whether they given

permission or not Mark as you said your

students are going to have access to

chat GPT and they're it's their choice

whether they use technology in their in

their in their learning or not so in

many ways uh institutions are actually

catching up to what digital natives are

already doing um and I want want to talk

a little bit more about how technology

can can actually break down barriers

especially when we talk about

geographical and cultural barriers um

that is very much something that I I I

witnessed in znotes and and developing

znotes and what it it does right

now our education system considers

students as passive consumers that they

need to be given stuff but do not

realize the the agency that they can

have if we if we do Empower them so at

the heart of what zenos does is we give

agencies to young people to not just be

these passive consumers but active

creators and proponents to the system

themselves with technology we can train

them we can upskill them and we can

create platforms which allow their work

and their knowledge and their

understanding to be accessible to to

students all over the world um and in

doing so so through xenos we provide we

get these high Achievers to create

learning resources which are available

for free to millions of students all

over the world but at the same time the

sense of community that's drawn by these

young people who are all fighting this

in in our case this battle against this

monster of uh standardized exams they

create real relationships online um and

this peer learning community that that

we've done through znotes but there's so

many different instances across the

internet shows that young people are

more uh globally citizens Global

Citizens and they're globally minded

they're more aware of the Social

Challenges that each other face in

different contexts so I think technology

has already played a part and young

people especially digital natives have

leveraged those experiences I can I can

give you a very concrete example

uh and this also shows how I'm getting

aged out of of young people as well uh I

I if you ask uh j z right now uh a

question or a topic that you don't

really understand like um you're going

and traveling to a different city most

of our reactions will be to go to Google

look at Trip Advisor look at the top 10

best things to do guess guess what a

genen z will do they'll go to Tik Tok

they'll watch 20 res or 10 20 Tik toks

and tell you like oh I figured out that

my favorite influencer is going here

here and here and doing these things

there's so much content knowledge and

value available across a technological

ecosystem um I think the work that

profuturo does is very very important

which is about bridging that digital

divide but I'm at the heart of it you

know technolog is already leveling the

playing field we just need to leverage

it and make sure it's accessible to

everyone so I'll I'll give a uh two

anecdotes one very

pessimistic and one somewhat optimistic

for perverse

reasons um

I I think that on on the pessimistic

side unfortunately tools that are

available uh even when they're available

broadly acre to the wealthy at

disproportionate rates and there's

practically nothing we can do about it

um to give you some

perspective uh in the United States

students take

SATs now at varying rates but they're

introducing SATs quite a bit to get into

college

just curious if you little poll to our

our fellow

panelists if you're born into the Top

20th uh percentile or top quintile top

20% of the socioeconomic distribution

how much more likely are you to have a

1300 or above on the SAT which is

considered the the cut off to get into a

good University how much more likely are

you to have a 1300 or above uh SAT score

than if you were born into the

bottom quti 90% 90% more likely any

other three times more lik yeah how much

more five times more like five times oh

100 times I'm going to go with much

more 24 times wow you are 24 times more

likely to have a 1300 SAT score more

Born Into the top 20 percenti ver the

top bottom 20% I will tell you you are

not 20 24 times more likely to be hyper

intelligent if you were born in the top

20 versus the bottom 20 is completely uh

bastardized uh form of assessment and

unfortunately many of these tools are

crew to um so I would imagine many of

the AI tools that are going to be

developed will unfortunately acrew to

wealthy students however there is a a

slight Silver Lining um different kind

of statistic um there was a uh an

internal study not published uh which I

got my hands on which which is always

the best kind uh on a very prestigious

private boarding school in the United

States it looked at 40 years worth of

data on incoming SSAT scores versus SAT

scores and the beauty of those two

things is that you are measured as a

percentile of uh on how you rank on math

and English Etc compared to the rest of

the population so again this is a very

very prestigious boarding school spends

an enormous amount of money per student

on their education what do you think is

the incremental benefit meaning what is

the percentage Improvement that a

student made uh going out versus coming

in on on based on those

resources I'm going with hardly

any the answer is the answer is not

hardly any it is zero zero wow Zero

Effect yeah pretty close pretty close

but zero there's actual zero incremental

benefit absolutely none zero wow to one

of the fanciest boarding schools and

it's true of course of all boarding

schools now what does that mean it means

that the current schooling model just

simply doesn't work however the elite

school

even though all of these apps and things

ACR to Rich students very quickly the

elite schools are not going to change

their model poor schools however that

don't have access to teachers the

teachers actually are delighted to do

less and less work etc they're going to

potentially Embrace AI tools to actually

give personalized education to their

students much faster so it could be that

there will be a perverse uh uh element

where because schools are under resour

in poor neighborhoods they may actually

get dramatically better education

because a machine almost certainly

teaches better than a

human okay I was going to say I was just

going to build on your first point um

with respect to probably one of the most

disadvantaged populations which is

displaced refugees and I think it

reflects a lot of the themes we've heard

at the conference and also sort of begs

a question about your point about

digital natives because our experience

in the field with Refugee teams is they

are not at all digital Natives and that

what we all have to remember is the

context in terms of making sure that AI

is accessible and and has equal

opportunity and so you have to start our

experience shows with the foundational

building blocks first maybe with digital

literacy um digital skills and media

literacy so they even know what the

internet is and how to use it and how to

interpret those results which are much

more simplistic I sort of think of it as

like the the two-dimensional version

then adding on again another theme here

is all those um some of them was calling

the soft skills power skills so those

critical thinking skills all those other

things that give you judgment and

reasoning again to interpret things and

then and only then is the 3D or even

four-dimensional idea of AI the kind of

thing that those most disadvantaged

populations can access and so I think

it's just important I think a lot of

times Ai and the developers the Silicon

Valley folks think of it as a technology

and access is all you need but there's

all these other sort of fundamental

skills that have to be there for

everyone to really become to Natives and

to be able to get the

benefits so um let me Begin by saying

actually my my wife is a is a teacher in

Washington DC which is a difficult place

to be a teacher um and I think we all

have this innate Instinct that we want

to uplift people and provide them with

the necessary

resources and we think about schools and

we think about books at least we used to

think about books

we think about a decent playing field we

think about good teachers uh we think

about access to the internet um these

are all I would say educational

resources and our instinct is to ensure

that they are broadly and fairly

distributed which I think is a very good

intuition I'd like to suggest that with

AI there's something a bit more subtle

going on that we need to be aware of

this is a technology that interacts with

children and collects data from children

and directs

children sometimes without the full

control of the teacher who's responsible

for the success of the children and to

me this creates some real challenges

because you see on the one hand we begin

with this very positive Instinct that AI

is this fantastic thing and everybody is

investing money and countries want to

lead and we want to make sure no one is

left behind but I feel that in the same

moment we need to maintain probably the

most critical thing that education

provides to us and that's critical

thinking right what type of data is

being taken from our children in these

educational environments will it be used

in the future for employment decisions

or Insurance decisions is the so-called

personalized learning you know actually

proven to provide benefit or do we have

a new form of replicating hierarchy

that's simply been encoded in this

technology that everyone's so

enthusiastic about and none of this is

to say that AI doesn't offer you know

some great opportunities but I do think

particularly as leaders in the

educational field you really have a

responsibility to critically assess

to do an impact assessment prior to

deployment what do we think will happen

how do we measure success what are steps

along the way to see if we're on track

yes um and to constantly engage and I

think if that process is done well then

the outcome can be favorable but I don't

think there's any guarantee that just by

sprinkling AI on universities you know

everyone is going to be richer and

happier and live longer I think that's

magical

thinking yeah no I'm I'm an optimistic

so a lot of challenges but I I see a lot

of opportunity you know from you know

the starting point that Ben was

mentioning to you know all the

possibilities that were around here so

hopefully you know we get along all

these problems so let me let me maybe

switch GE you know assuming that we all

want this technology right uh to be for

the best right of course um

scaling uh AI is complex it's nice to

have a starting pilot nice to start

initial you know but then then scaling

is when you know when getting the all

the people to to to use it etc etc right

so my question is around okay what do

you think is the main barrier for the

technology to be able to escale across

and globalize

and maybe maybe B can

start um I actually think that the main

barrier to scale this is a little bit of

a controversial perspective is that the

certainly and in uh later on in the

education sector in secondary and

postsecondary less so in

elementary the role

of educational institutions so-called

educational institutions not to educate

it's to certif

and these are not educational

institutions and we know that because

the way that they certify their

education using the same methodology

assessments tests you administer the

same test to the same learner a few

months after the test date the learner

has forgotten 90 to 95% of what they

tested correctly there's no interest in

education whatsoever there's no

incentive to educate there's no

mechanism to educate

and

therefore if you go and you say hey

here's a tool that'll really help the

student educate and the tool to use AI

to do that would mean to increase

workload right because AI can write

papers very easily it can do all these

things so in a new reality where you had

before a term paper maybe two now you

should have

20 right and everyone should have a

quality standard that is significantly

higher than what it was before a lot

more work for the student a lot more

work for the teacher and the professor

right using of the tool in an effective

way right to get them ready for more

productive

world no one wants that students aren't

there to learn professors aren't there

to teach certainly not at higher

education right and in order to actually

scale positive impact you have to get

everybody bought in in on not only

stopping the decline in the amount of

time students spend in higher education

today students spend less than 2third

the amount of time they spent in the

1960s on their studies and they get A's

at a rate that is six times

higher they become much more efficient

so much more efficient even more

AI much more and so AI will scale when

students will use it to write their

papers and professors will use it to

grade them right but then no one will

learn anything and and that is where and

that is where it will likely scale first

because it it it

enhances the trend that's already been

going if you really want to scale it you

have to actually fix the certification

education divide you have to realign

certification in high school and

universities to M actual education

Mark I'm sure you have something to say

on the optimistic

part I'm

trying I'm going to prop chat GPT say

something optimistic um actually I'll

tell you a a funny story I have uh I

have a whole lot of AI stories oh my

gosh I'm forgetting the name of the guy

who started LinkedIn quite famous read

yeah Reed Hoffman so Reed Hoffman and I

had an interesting exchange um cuz after

chat GPT came out he rushed to publish

the first book basically a dialogue

between him and chat GPT and Reed by the

way is the ultimate optimist about all

technology um and there was in his book

a section where he asks the question um

what are some of the risks related to

the future of AI and education right

very appropriate for this is the reason

I'm pulling out the story and the answer

he got CH from chat G PT was essentially

this it is possible that Educators and

universities will not understand the

full value of chat GPT and therefore

will fail to fully deploy this wonderful

new

technology now I'm reading this chat GPT

answer bragging about how great chat GPT

is and Reed being one of the big

investors in the field telling us in his

commentary what a brilliant response

this was and I said this is not right if

you ask me you know what are some of the

risks which was the question he posed I

was thinking oh I don't know deskilling

a generation of Educators the loss of

Printed history the inability to

communicate I mean I could come up with

half a dozen

dystopias pretty quickly now I see the

colors going from your

face this was this optimistic answer

this this was not we're getting we're

getting to the optimism this is not this

is not the answer you were this is not

the answer you were looking for and I do

apologize but but I have to say in the

moment it's just kind of striking to me

this sort of interaction between chat

gpt's selfassessment you know reads

endorsement and as I keep saying the

reality to critically think by the way

in the long term for business and

Educators I think is most likely to

produce the most successful and the most

stable outcomes because if we really do

understand how the technology provides

benefit and here's where I'm optimistic

I think we have the ability to do that

then I think we will find the benefits

yeah I think we have we have to evaluate

first I we are taking for granted that

AI in education is going to be a success

and we don't really know for the moment

and when we talk about how to scate all

this we have to think that in fact I

mean there is a digital divide great

digital divide in the world and uh

they're talking about the states the USA

which is a different problem it's not

what we experience here and not what we

experience in Africa or in Latin America

so first we should we should tackle the

digital divide in the world and and then

Implement a AI generative AI I think

you're talking about all the time no

yeah I think you're you're mention

something I hear a lot about J is going

to bring the bottom to the average and I

think that's a bit you know you talking

about the top you're talking about the

bottom to the average right which well

but I think that that's an important

just to to maybe interject on that

there's a reason because in an AI

powered

world the the average really doesn't

exist anymore right you're either produ

using Ai and producing better than top

outcomes today at least in productivity

or you don't use it and you really are a

lagered and so and that so that that the

the imperative to get opportunity for

people to co- up is is going to be

pretty dramatic so AI is going to

increase the Divide dramatically so I'll

try one optimistic

thought I knew it would come about

event um so in a lot of my teaching in

our AI policy clinics and the law

schools and everything it's you know

about the ability to communicate

effectively and to write effectively

and I will say that some of the writing

tools that have been developed over the

last few years I have in mind for

example grammarly are very good at

helping people who struggle in

expressing themselves you know write

more clearly I mean we remember in the

early days when there was something

called word processing we had spelling

correction okay that was helpful and

then we had the source better words and

now we actually have tools that help

people write better which I think we

should encourage and I've told my

students you know you're welcome to do

this by the way I want to read a better

paper from you and I think it has had a

great sort of raising up effect for a

lot of people who struggle with

communication but here of course is

where we also need to draw the line

because I want the student to do the

reasoning so I would say yes grammarly

better writing chat GPT I'm not so sure

I I I want to see your thinking in your

in your analysis and I certainly don't

want to grade 20 times as many papers so

but but it's working let me just say it

is actually working in education can can

I add one small point and I was coming

back to magdalen's point around who's

actually able to access the technology

it also makes a big difference in what

actually generative AI can prompt

because the the

representation also applies to data

representation and currently the data

representation is of a very specific

socioeconomic status culture race within

within uh whatever data that's been

added at the back end of J chat gbt or

other generative AI tools so uh

alongside access we also need to make

sure that the the responses that a

generative AI tool will actually

represent the person asking it um will

it know the the Lost stories in of

certain subcontinent Asia or Africa

would it know the Legends would it know

the the the kind of this the nuances of

that culture and sometimes and

especially right now you even even if

you experiment right now with certain

kind of geopolitical questions the

responses you get are heavily biased or

Tilted because of the data that's

available and so I think the data

representation is also another big Point

um to make sure that the barriers are

not

exacerbated maybe maybe M you want to

add on this Emerging Markets topic right

don't how how you can you know take out

some barriers you know thanks to

AI some barriers I mean because I don't

we we're just discussing here about

generative Ai and uh and my AI is really

based on the data available to take

decisions to improve the system and uh

and to to to decrease the the the

administrative work for teachers and and

help them uh uh teach better and and and

and analyze exactly what what what they

analyze better what what are the tools

they have to improve uh teacher learning

the people's learning so not NE I mean

AI has been on the table for for many

years it's not it's not synonymous no Ai

and generative AI so we are all talking

right now it seems to me that we are

just discussing about about generative

Ai and in fact AI is a is a very good

tool to to um to analyze information no

and to predict um uh behaviors and uh

and to automatize uh replies not

necessarily generative so in the in the

Emerging Markets I think there's still a

lot to do with data Gathering data

cleaning data producing data analyzing

data and uh and um providing the tools

that the governments need to make uh

better

decisions so it's not it's not yet pert

perverted no by generative AI so I think

that in the USA I mean you are at the

different

stage we've seen the future it's a

little

scary okay so maybe before we close and

we are getting to the to the limit I

would love to ask you for one sentence

each of you uh that summarize a bit you

know what's in your thoughts and what

you hear from others maybe we can get a

round and Mark and

and well as I said I I think this can be

very beneficial but I think we need to

think critically maintain control uh

assess risk and uh look

ahead I think a uh an

enterprising country Province state

population somewhere around the world um

will leap frog with AI will

reimagine the entire educational system

from the ground up and will launch the

economic prospects of their country

dramatically

upwards I

believe if we can address the access to

technology we can level up the playing

field um the question is how do we

ensure equal access to

all and I guess I would build on that

with the challenge of thinking of

building digital citizens of the world

and I think that that takes you to many

different planes there's digital skills

there's exposure to different kinds of

thinking and there's also this concept

of citizenship which is community

building and all the sort of Social and

people side of things as well and I

think if we could build that that might

solve some of the

problems I I would add your comment

equal access I think is a key for an

optimistic view of the future on of

humanity so equal access for for

everyone maybe maybe I think it's also

with my own sentence from what I hear so

I think it's we're in a moment of

truth and a lot of

challenges but also bright opportunities

ahead of us and it's on us it's on us

Humanity to really decide where to go

and how much we need to invest you know

if we go for the good way you know of

course

inequality inclusion

efficiency you know will be

there so maybe maybe with this just tell

you thank you very very much you know

for for being here you know quite uh

inspiring uh

debate um insights and if I take some of

the quotes from this morning I think I

come with much more questions that I

came when when we start which this is

what tell us we are human right so thank

you thank you very much to to all of you

you