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Opinion | What would Einstein have said about the impact of generative AI on higher education?
- According to ChatGPT, Einstein would have seen generative AI as a creative partner that students must be taught to use wisely and responsibly
- Generative AI has changed the future that higher educational institutions were preparing their students for, so education itself must now change too
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Higher education is facing one of its biggest technological disruptions with the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Unlike previous changes, such as the shift to online learning during the pandemic, generative AI requires a transformation of not only the delivery of higher education, but also its content and pedagogy. It requires institutions to rethink what and how they teach in a world where humans collaborate with AI and co-create.
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The debate over AI taking over our jobs has intensified in recent years. There was much discussion after the 2011 Jeopardy quiz show during which IBM’s Watson outsmarted two human champions, and the 2016 Go match in which Google’s AlphaGo beat Go master Lee Sedol.
With the emergence of ChatGPT in November last year, the possibility of losing our jobs has suddenly become very real. A Goldman Sachs report estimates that generative AI could wipe out up to 18 per cent of jobs globally – about 300 million jobs – with educated professionals most vulnerable.
Generative AI has changed the future that higher educational institutions around the world were preparing their students for. People will need to work with AI or risk their jobs being replaced. A February survey of 1,000 US companies found that nearly half were using ChatGPT. Universities need to reconsider their role and redesign their curriculum and pedagogy for this new world.
Higher education should welcome generative AI instead of shunning or prohibiting it. If students’ prospects hinge on their ability to collaborate with generative AI, then we need to teach these new tools and their effective use. An April poll of over 1,000 business leaders in the United States found 91 per cent of companies were looking for workers with ChatGPT skills.
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Even if AI doesn’t take your job now, someone who can use AI might. And soon enough, almost everyone will be using AI at work, so students will need to not only know how to use it but to excel at it.
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