Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Human...

1

Artificial Intelligence and the

Future of Human Development

Nancy Law

University of Hong Kong

23-25 July,2019 Shenzhen,China

Human development as both

Individual & Social

Overview

• Human development & how it co-evolves with

“learning technologies”

• How is AI similar or different from previous “learning

technologies”?

• Envisioning the futures of human development

• What are the conditions for technology to change

the world we live in?

• AI & the future of human development

Human development & how it co-evolves

with “learning technologies”

Ontogeny —> Phylogeny

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Jean Piaget

How is it possible for the epistemic

objectivity of adulthood to develop

from the subjectivity and

egocentrism of childhood?

We know things, Piaget claims,

because we construct epistemic

structures, which function as

necessary conditions for knowledge.

Genetic epistemology …. an

epistemology oriented towards the

genesis and development of knowledge.

… it has a complex domain, including

the growth of knowledge both in the

individual person and in the history of

science.

Quotations from: KITCHENER, R. (1986). In Piaget's Theory of Knowledge: Genetic Epistemology and Scientific Reason. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xp3sbdConstructivism

Piaget’s question: how can brilliant minds such as Albert Einstein’s come to be?

Relative brain size of Homo did not change from 1.8 to 0.6 mya. After

about 600 kya it increased until about 35,000 years ago, when it began

to decrease. Worldwide, average body size also decreased in H.

sapiens from 35,000 years ago until very recently, when economically

advanced peoples began to grow larger while less-privileged peoples

did not.

Nov 2018 https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618808470

Are Bigger Brains Smarter? N = 13,608 from UK. “We found a robust

association between total brain volume and fluid intelligence (r = .19),

a positive relationship between total brain volume and educational

attainment (r = .12).

… but size is only a small part of the picture, explaining about 2 percent

of the variability in test performance. For educational attainment the

effect was even smaller: an additional ‘cup’ (100 square centimeters)

of brain would increase an average person’s years of schooling by less

than five months.”

TECHNOLOGY HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ? Learning

https://elearninginfographics.com/timeline-of-educational-technology-in-schools-infographic/

What changes?

7/30/2019 9

Another way to conceptualize learning technologies ….

Graphics from: https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/evolution-of-learning-technologies

Hieroglyphics

Abacus

Quill pen

Printing press

PencilThe first calculator

First stored-program computer

First personal computer

First correspondence

school

Connecting minds

over time & space

Augmenting

performance

https://www.myforesight.my/2016/07/01/does-technology-replace-humanity/

Technology to connect minds over time & space

Web 2.0—

Empowering the individual:

giving everyone a voice

https://www.demos.co.uk/files/educationepidemic.pdf

Technology to connect minds over time & space

https://mcluhangalaxy.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/the-3-eras-of-communication-according-to-mcluhan-innis/

3 Eras of Communication According to McLuhan & Innis

1. Oracy

2. Literacy

3. Electric/electronic

communication

Accelerating human development

&

Acceleration at different levels:

1. individual

2. Institutional

3. societal

Technology and human development

1. Human language

2. The written word

3. Paper

4. Printing

5. Telecommunication

6. Radio & television

7. Internet (Web 1.0, Web 2.0)

8. Intelligent web (semantic web, big

data, cloud computing, IoT, 5G)

Empowerment through:

Decreasing cost,

increasing ease of access

Empowerment or

digital divide?

• Physical access

• Intellectual/

sociocultural access

How is AI similar or different from previous “learning technologies”?

What is intelligence?—human’s quest to make machines that think!

The Turing Test (1950)

Garry Kasparov vs Deep Blue

1996, 1997Brute computational force to evaluate millions of positions

Ke Jie vs Alpha Go

1996, 1997Combination of machine learning, neural network

AlphaGo Zero—Mastering the game of Go without human knowledge

AlphaGo's team published an article in the journal Nature

on 19 October 2017, introducing AlphaGo Zero, a version

without human data and stronger than any previous

human-champion-defeating version. By playing games

against itself, AlphaGo Zero surpassed the strength of

AlphaGo Lee in three days by winning 100 games to 0,

reached the level of AlphaGo Master in 21 days, and

exceeded all the old versions in 40 days.

(Wikipedia)

What needs to be advanced in

human intelligence & human performance

in the age of AI?

OUR UNDERSTANDING

!!

Envisioning the futures of human development

Is this your vision of the future of AI in education?

5 Ways AI Is Changing The Education Industryhttps://elearningindustry.com/ai-is-changing-the-education-industry-5-ways

https://www.cognilytica.com/2019/03/28/infographic-ai-in-education/

https://www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-education-market

AI in education market is driven by the integration of the Intelligent Tutoring

System (ITS) in the learning process. ITS is one of the advanced applications

of AI aimed at providing immediate and personalized feedback and

instructions to learners without the intervention of a human tutor. The

numerous benefits offered by the system is major factor augmenting its

demand. It assists students in improving their learning styles, offering

personalized tutoring and high-quality education by gauging their pre-existing

knowledge and learning. The platform collects data points and employs

machine learning and predictive models to determine individual knowledge and

skill levels and analyze the performance. It also provides students immediate

feedback for improvement.

Is this driving your interest in AI in Ed?

Brave New World—which jobs will go?

• Accountants?

• Lawyers?

• Financial advisers?

• Doctors?

• Teachers?

• ……?

Is AI:

• augmenting(empowering),or

• Replacing, or

• Subordinating

human performance?

• AI in Ed for the improvement of humanity?

• Core subjects

• Global awareness

• Financial, economic,

business and

entrepreneurial literacy

• Civic literacy

• Health literacy

• Creativity and

Innovation Skills

• Critical Thinking and

Problem Solving Skills

• Communication Skills

• Collaboration Skills

• Information Literacy

• Media Literacy

• ICT (Information,

Communications &

Technology) Literacy

• Flexibility & Adaptability

• Initiative & Self-Direction

• Social & Cross-Cultural Skills

• Productivity & Accountability

• Leadership & Responsibility

21st Century Support Systems

http://www.battelleforkids.org/networks/p21/frameworks-resources

https://www.ecitizen.hk

What are the conditions for technology to change the world we live in?

Technology Innovation—? Social Transformation

Technology Innovation—? Social Transformation

Invention of autopilot

systems Driverless cars on roads

• GPS system

• Mobile online payment

• UBER• 嘀嘀打的 (didi dadi)

Technology Innovation—? Social Transformation

The sociotechnical change model according to Geels (2002).Geels, F. W. (2002). Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study. Research policy, 31(8-9), 1257-1274.

AI & the future of human development

7/30/2019 31

Connecting minds

over time & space

Augmenting

performance

21st Century capabilities & education

4Cs• Communication• Collaboration• Critical Thinking• Creativity

HKU Vision: (3+1) I

• Internationalisation

• Innovation

• Interdisciplinarity

IMPACT

MINDS ON, HEARTS ON LEARNING

• Agency• Responsibility• Competence

Technology has to

empower learners:• Self-directed

• Self-regulated

• Responsible, risk-

taking collaborative

problem solvers

Transforming learning, what needs to change?

Technology has to

empower learners:

• Self-directed

• Self-regulated

• Responsible, risk-

taking collaborative

problem solvers

Practices and Roles of:• Learners

• Teachers

• Other education professionals

Changes at institutional & system

levels:• Infrastructure (incl. social/

organizational)

• Routines

• Regulations, monitoring &

evaluation systems

Institutions

Education system

Individual

Institutions

Groups & communities

• Ed reform• Public Exams• Curriculum• Leadership• Ed management• Support services• Timetabling• Appraisal• Teacher PD• Infrastructure• Assessment• Pedagogy• Self-efficacy• motivation

Educational Practices

…..

Technology transforming learning: how to achieve successful co-evolution

?

?Research needed on:

• Co-evolution of

technology & practices

at each level

• How to scaffold

interactions across levels to achieve

alignment

Architectures for learning

7/30/2019 35

Building capacity of

schools as self-directed

agents for generative,

scalable technology-

enhanced innovation

networks

Innovating learning design practices through developing

technologies for learning design & learning analytics

Understanding human learning (4Cs) @scale

• Less practiced, less studied, and less supported forms of learning involving• Open-ended, authentic problem-solving

• Working with others collaboratively

• Reflection & regulation: both self- and peer-/socially- based

• Primarily conducted in small classes and groups

• Facilitated by humans

• Technology use as medium: for communication and collaboration

• What are the most likely trajectories in here the development of these 4 Cs, and what are the key indicators and stages of their development?

Human development will only have a bright futureif AI in Ed is not driven by

a technocentric vision of 20th century learning

Role of AI & other learning technologies:

Be part of the ecosystem that contributes to

Changing Learning Goals & Practices through

connecting & empowering learners & educators

39

Thank you!Questions & Discussions

nlaw@hku.hkhttp://www.cite.hku.hk

http://ecitizen.hk

https://ldshe.cite.hku.hk