The arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed practically every aspect of our lives, and education would be no exception. A forum was held at Harvard University in the United States, which addressed the relationship between human beings and AI thinking, attended by guests such as Professor Howard Gardner, creator of the theory of multiple intelligences, and Professor Anthe Roberts, current CEO of the AI tool “Dragonfly Thinking.”
Both argue that the current type of teaching will be affected by the arrival of AI in classrooms, even altering the training that teachers will need to have. In this forum, Gardner stated that by 2050, education will be based on the so-called 3 Rs: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, as well as some programming. These changes led Gardner to feel the need to reconsider the paradigms he explained in 2005 in his book “Five Minds for the Future,” in which he emphasized that educational policy should foster the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, and the creative mind, in dialogue with the respectful and ethical mind.
Although he argues that the advent of artificial intelligence will cause the most cognitive aspects to be managed by it, he also clings to the idea that there will be no machine or technological advancement that can replace human management, which includes respect and ethics.
Education and artificial intelligence
Do you think it will be possible to maintain the current educational model considering the impact that artificial intelligence is having on our lives? Professors Howard Gardner, creator of the theory of multiple intelligences, and Anthea Roberts, CEO of the AI tool Dragonfly Thinking, believe that it will not only change, but that a different type of training for teachers will also be necessary, as they will now have to address multiple intelligences with completely different tools and perspectives. It will be necessary to find ways to satisfy the multiple intelligences proposed by Gardner: logical-mathematical, linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, among others—which make each person a unique version and break with a single paradigm of intelligence.
Forum at Harvard University
A forum was recently held at Harvard University, where both Gardner and Roberts participated as members. In this event, called “Thinking About a World Powered by AI,” the discussion focused on the relationship between humans and thinking about artificial intelligence. On this topic, Gardner explained, “The need for everyone in the class to do the same thing and be evaluated in the same way will seem completely outdated.” He proposed a new paradigm in which, according to him, by 2050, educational knowledge will be based on core knowledge built around the 3Rs: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and some programming.
What will happen with the teachers?
John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs, professors of Cognition and Education Research at the Chair, highlighted the importance of the teachers’ role in this new scenario, focusing on the need for them to play a role that challenges and stimulates the students. Anthea Roberts emphasized that the importance will no longer lie in the production of knowledge, but in how to successfully orchestrate an AI team. “You become the director of the actor, the coach of the athlete, and the editor of the writer,” she explained.
What did Gardner propose?
In the midst of the forum, the professor was forced to reflect on the ideas he presented in his book “Five Minds for the Future” in 2005, where he argued that education in the classroom was responsible for developing the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, and the creating mind; in dialogue with the respectful and ethical mind. However, he now believes it is necessary to review these statements, as he thinks that “I believe that most of the cognitive aspects of the mind (disciplined, synthesizing, and creative) will be managed so well by large machines and language mechanisms that human management will be optional”.
In contrast to this statement, he added, “I do not believe, even for an instant, that aspects such as respect—how we treat other human beings—and ethics—how we approach complex issues—can or should be relegated even to the most articulate, multifaceted, or intelligent machines.”
