It’s near impossible to go through a day without encountering some form of media describing how artificial intelligence is changing society. I even saw an ad about how AI will help professional football teams decide which players to draft. Could teams soon be blaming AI if a player doesn’t produce?
A consistent theme in this discourse is that AI will take the place of humans in various settings, particularly in the workplace.
A 2023 study by the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that by 2030, 30 percent of the hours currently worked in the U.S. economy will be automated, including routine manufacturing, office, food service and customer service jobs. More nonroutine and professional jobs will be significantly restructured.
The rapid expansion of AI logically raises the question of how young people need to be prepared for this environment. If we need to educate students for their future and not our past — which makes sense — what does this look like?
Regardless of AI, the need for strong basic skills and knowledge in reading, writing, math, science and social studies will continue. These are foundational proficiencies that will be required even in an AI environment. Because we live in an age of rampant disinformation, people must have the skills and knowledge to be discerning consumers of often-disingenuous media.
The traditional factory model of education where students move from disconnected class to disconnected class in conveyer-belt fashion is no longer even close to sufficient.
A more relevant instructional model will emphasize what leadership at Google calls “learning ability.” This includes the ability to find, analyze and use resources, to answer questions and design solutions, to apply knowledge using judgment and to deploy advanced problem-solving skills.
The traditional instructional model will need to change profoundly. First and foremost, instruction will need to be more integrated across content areas, particularly as students get beyond the primary grades where this happens more naturally. We all understand that in the actual world, we utilize skills and knowledge in a blended rather than disconnected way.