Fear Not, Teacher!

Stephen Hawking and the

Dangers of Technology
By Dr. Annica Schjott Voneche

In an open letter renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, along with 20,000 other signatories, warned
against the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) weapons. In a BBC interview, he further alerted that
"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."[i] The problem,
he states, might arise if the machines become so powerful that they surpass humans, whose evolution is
slower, and take over, thus becoming our masters rather than our tools.

These cautions reminded me of the reaction I sometimes get from teachers (although far from all) when
I talk about technology-enhanced learning. There is a fear that the machines are going to take over
completely. This is sometimes expressed as a dread that teachers will become superfluous and
completely replaceable by computers, but more often as the slightly nuanced apprehension that the
teacher's role in a technology-enhanced classroom be diminished and her authority weakened when she
is no longer the sole source of knowledge and expertise.

However, Hawking later clarified his view on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence when
answering the readers' questions in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. Here, he explained that
The real risk with AI isn't malice but competence. A super-intelligent AI will be extremely good at
accomplishing its goals, and if those goals aren't aligned with ours, we're in trouble.[ii]
I believe this also rings true when it comes to the potential impact of automated learning tools. In both
cases, the operative word is 'goals.' While the repercussions of incorporating technology tools in the
classroom without a clear goal in mind may not be the equivalent of an out of control AI arms raise, it is
nevertheless an endeavor that is doomed to fail. We should never become slaves under technology of
any kind, and never use technology merely for the sake of using technology. It always needs to be part
of a well thought out plan, where technology is a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.

In a worst case scenario, using technology in the classroom without factoring in how it fits into the larger
picture of teaching and learning a specific skill, whether or not it is the best tool for the intended
purpose, and how it serves the overarching goals of that particular learning environment, might indeed
reduce the teacher to a mere handler of technology, forcing her to adapt the learning environment as a
whole to the limitations and goals determined by the AI tool rather than by herself. If, on the other
hand, the teacher selects the learning tool based on a set of well-planned and worthwhile learning
goals, and incorporates it into the classroom in a way where it enhances, rather than dominates learning
the teacher's role is strengthened because it can allow her to better reach those goals.

For example, technology has the potential to free up time for the teacher to interact individually with
each student, and to focus on teaching higher order thinking skills, both of which areas where many
teachers wish they were able to spend more time and effort. In addition, a well-designed and well-used
electronic learning tool allows the teacher to track student progress in real time, and to adjust the
learning in accordance with this progress (or lack thereof), thus offering each student an individualized
and adaptive learning path.

As for the apprehension that using technology in the classroom change the teacher's role, if not her
authority, I think that is a reasonable assumption. However, I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing.
This again goes back to defining our fundamental learning goals. Do we want the students to be
dependent on the teachers expertise in order to learn, or do we strive to teach them how to become
independent, competent and engaged learners? I see a teacher as a guide showing the students how to
learn rather than as the sole authority on the subject dictating precisely what to learn. Showing the
students how to make use of the tools at their disposal in order to continue learning long after they
have left the classroom, without a teacher monitoring them every step of the way, is a lesson that will
last them a lifetime. To my mind, the most important thing is not the source of knowledge, but how the
students find and evaluate this knowledge, and how they transform it into life skills that will serve them
in their future personal and professional lives.

Bill Gates has stated that the first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied
to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an
inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. This means that the impact of using technology to
enhance preexisting operations is not that of total transformation, good or bad. It is not a quick fix, nor
does it have the power to completely overpower the established operations. However, if used right,
technology can optimize these operations, on the condition that those were well thought out and
functional to begin with.

If we design learning environments and lesson plans with clear and attainable goals in mind, and
judicially select and utilize the appropriate electronic learning tools with the capacity to help our
students reach those goals faster or more efficiently, technology will not in any way threat neither the
future existence nor the authority of the teacher. On the contrary, in this scenario, using technology
might allow her to achieve previously unattainable goals in the classroom and beyond.