Well, here we are folks.
It’s 2023 and you can’t swing a cat* without hitting an article about AI: about what it’s thinking, why it’s better than you, and how you - yes, you - will die lonely and poor if you don’t get 👏 with 👏 it 👏 nowww 👏
Rather than add to that mess of shot-in-the-dark predictions, we’re just going to do something simple here: let you in on our thinking as an organization that’s all about learning and hooking people up with the skills they need for the future.
The tl;dr:
we're thinking about AI simply as a layer on top of what we already do
There are three main things that we're really looking at:
① Teaching
We do lots of teaching, and one of our most deeply held beliefs is that the most powerful learning experiences are facilitated by human interaction. But that interaction is hard to scale. Humans have their own limitations; they live on different schedules, in different time zones; they sleep; they can easily be burned out. They speak only certain languages, they lack cultural context where it is important. So one thing we’re thinking about is how AI can be used as a tool to enhance human wisdom and strengths. How could AI be used to support trainers and facilitators, to help overcome their own limitations, prevent burnout and overextension, and ultimately augment their ability to respond to and support learners? 👆 We’re in the early stages of developing a pilot that does just this.
Want to learn more? Drop us a line.
② Jobs & Employment
We’re all about providing digital, cognitive, and social-emotional skills that help folks upgrade their professional profile.
Those skills need to keep pace with not just current social and economic trends, but with the future job market too. So, naturally, we’re thinking about how to upgrade our program content to include new digital skills and AI fundamentals.
In particular, we’re thinking about how to create a leapfrog effect, where people outside of or ignored by formal education systems can get a head start on understanding not just AI but also how to use it to strengthen and complement their own abilities.
👆 In 2024, our flagship Reskilling Latam program will include a new focus area on AI fundamentals, and all course content across other content areas will be upgraded to consider AI impacts on various industries.
Cognitive Skills
We’re 30 years (or more?) into the “technological revolution” and we still have world leaders who don’t understand the business model of tech companies.
This just will not do.
We need everyone - from kids to seniors to heads of state - to develop a clear understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the tools in our hands, and to upgrade skills like problem solving, effective inquiry, critical thinking, and discerning fact from fiction. As AI ushers in a new revolutionary change, we’re thinking about how to get ahead of the curve to upgrade society’s thinking along with society’s systems.
How can we learn to slow down, ask better questions, critically engage with the world around us, and be present and attentive as we leverage new tools?
👆 This spring, we launched our first AI Thinking workshop together with UNESCO and Code.org, delivering foundational training to policymakers throughout Latin America. Learn more about where our AI initiative is headed here.
What do you think?
We’d love it if you agree with us, but it can be even more fun to hear new ideas. Drop us a comment in the thread below.
*Please don’t swing cats. 🫶😸