Artificial Intelligence (AI) is disrupting the framework of higher education, but the technology also presents a wealth of opportunities, experts have said in a panel discussion at the 11th edition of the WISE Summit.
Francisco Marmolejo, president of Higher Education, Qatar Foundation (QF), was one of the participants in the roundtable at the global education conference hosted by QF’s education initiative WISE, which brought together nine experts to discuss the topic of ‘Higher Education and AI: Building Resilient Pedagogies’.
“AI, in a way, is seriously disrupting the business model of higher education,” he said. “It is disrupting that black box, which is the classroom – because a classroom is no longer just a classroom; it can be any place, anytime, with any type of player. There is a significant level of opportunity.
“We have, in front of us, a very unique crossroads in really trying to see how education in the world can be more inclusive, can be more relevant, more flexible. What a great opportunity we have today to challenge our traditional assumptions about what is higher education, and what is not higher education, to make sure we look forward to the new future.”
David Brown, director, Executive Education, Imperial College Business School, spoke about the future of students and the skills required – emphasising that AI will not replace jobs, but rather “tasks”.
“Technology will replace tasks, as a job is just a bundle of tasks,” he explained. “As organisations change, and as this technology becomes available, we need people who understand these technologies – frankly, that’s the easy part, although that’s also the part we’re all stressing about.
“We need people who can stitch technologies together, and that’s a much more sophisticated skill and requires curiosity and continual learning. And given the fact that tasks are going to change, the challenge for us is how we re-engineer organisations and jobs.”
According to Husa Alangari, assistant professor of Instructional Design & Technology, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, it is important to engage stakeholders – from students and faculty, to administrators, ministries, and the community – and to make sure that students are prepared for the future workforce, with the relevant skills, competencies, and knowledge.
She also explained how ethical considerations need to be taken into consideration, saying: “AI does not work in the same way in every context, and in every culture, in every society. What works in the US and Canada may not work in the GCC countries, and may not work in China or Japan, for example.
“If we really want to be able to have students and our future leaders implement and use AI effectively, we need to get them ready, engage and involve them in the process, and make sure that we have a holistic view of how learning is occurring, how they are developing their skills.”
Panellists at the session.
A section of the audience.
