Artificial Intelligence Mentors And Learning
Most of our lives we learn specifically what we need to achieve our goals. As children we learn how to crawl, walk, and talk when we are physically ready to do so. We learn when our brain is sufficiently developed. We only attempt something new, like the precarious act of walking, when we are motivated to do so. Babies start to crawl to get to something that they want – their mother and her milk, a shiny toy, or perhaps something to explore. We learn to talk to get what we want. We cry to express our desires, to complain about the temperature, or to signal that we have fresh poop!
Our mothers urge us to walk. Our fathers play games with us. Our parents guide us away from dangers. Our mentors help us exercise our inquisitive minds safely. Our mentors help us reach our goals. That is the natural, organic way of learning.
Mentors guide our learning.
Organic Learning
The organic way of learning continues throughout our lives except for when we are in the formal industrial educational system that we call school. You’ve heard this before. Schools were designed to rapidly teach large groups of people to meet the demands of an industrial age. In school all students are expected to learn the same content at a pace that is set by the system, whether or not they are ready for it. And we are expected to learn on a set deadline. As a society we have been doing this for centuries but it is a difficult way of learning.
The formal industrial education system is not organic.
Student Evaluations
We measure students according to the formal education system. It's a contrived way of measuring intelligence, creativity, and productivity. We are judging students on their ability to excel in the system. It does not take into account their individual abilities to learn and to be productive. Some students are slower to learn, but are great problem solvers. Others are not good problem solvers, but can remember anything they read. Given enough time and motivation anyone can find their niche to excel and achieve fulfillment.
To succeed in school means that we have learned how to succeed in school.
Industrial Education System
The industrial education system is strong during elementary and high school. College students have more control of their learning but are still subject to a rigid structure. After graduating from college, learning decreases. Unless required for a job learning trails off. Many doctors do not keep up with advances in their professions.
Learning is a difficult thing to do. As we enter the work force we have less time to do it. The old saying that “we live our dissertation” is a reference to the fact that after we graduate we essentially coast along what we learned from our formal education.
People do want to learn. The great expansion of lifelong programs and of online schools proves that people hunger to learn. It is part of being human. In fact, people who stop learning have decidedly less enjoyable lives.
What makes learning difficult is that the current model of simulating the classroom online does not take into account that people work, have family obligations, and spend time with their friends.
The traditional school system is not very good online.
Artificial Intelligence Mentors
Instead of reproducing the traditional classroom online a new paradigm is needed. We need a model of education where mentors guide us in our learning, just like when we were babies.
That is what artificial intelligence will deliver in 2016. Artificial intelligence mentors will accompany us on our phones, tablets, and computers. Artificial intelligence mentors will help us choose what we should learn to reach a goal. They will teach us. They will serve up videos. Perhaps they will talk to us in virtual reality worlds. They’ll be there when we need them, whether on the job, or at home. We will get exactly the information we need when we need it.
Artificial intelligence will deliver individualized education in an economically viable package that will flip education and put learning back in the hands of the student!
Artificial intelligence mentors will guide learning throughout life.
