I apologize; I skipped a week of posting. It was my 60th birthday, and I was feeling existential angst. I had a topic ready, but when Sunday morning rolled around, I just could not bring myself to write. So apologies, but also maybe you had a few more minutes for yourselves, which is never a bad idea.
The topic I wanted to write about last week is the peculiar situation that is uniquely American. Older Americans see AI more positively than younger generations n(though not be much). My inquiry into this issue began when I had a chance encounter with a colleague who retired quite a few years ago; after recognizing me, he excitedly said he would love to meet and talk about AI. A few months ago, I shared about another former colleague who wanted to share and learn about what we were doing and thinking. At the same time, many of my colleagues and quite a few of my undergraduate students react with resistance, which I accept, but also an emotional response that is hard to process. So, older pAmericans were welcoming and younger ones rejecting AI. I wanted to know if my anecdotal data collection was backed up with more data. It turns out this is a trend that the Pew and others have noted in large scale polling.
This is hard to disentangle because this is not universal. International data shows a more familiar trend, with younger people more excited and positive about AI. I believe that the reasons are complex and multi-layered, including our disillusionment with the Tech industry, especially social media, and our rising environmental concerns. This may be uniquely American because the companies driving this change are US (and Chinese) companies, and we feel we should have a stake and a say, whereas the rest of the world lacks that sense of agency. This is not my point though.
In multiple conversations with colleagues exploring this world of AI and its impact, I heard frustration and a sense of foreboding. We are becoming reluctant to talk about our work because we do not wish to be the subjects of an emotional response or get drawn into an argument. The cost of talking about AI is rising, and it is impacting our ability to talk about what the field is experiencing.
This brings me to the beginning of the semester. I am teaching a class about technology integration. AI must have a seminal presence in that class. I found myself dreading broaching the subject with my students. This dread is useful because it makes me more deliberate and thoughtful about the scaffolds and exit ramps I put in place. I must open the world of AI to my students; it will be their world, and if they choose to reject AI, I want them to do so from a place of understanding and acknowledgment of the tradeoffs. The cost of that silence may be too high as we prepare professionals who will not be able to face the moment, who will not be able to prepare their students for a world where AI in everywhere and expected.
SO I will get over myself and introduce AI its advantages and concerns throughout the curriculum. Wish me luck!
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