Why doing nothing with AI is not an option

In the business of technology adoption, the prudent path often lies in inaction. Education, in particular, has a natural proclivity for sifting through the chaff of technological fads, embracing only those innovations that truly enhance learning outcomes or make educators' lives easier. This organic process of selection has served the sector well, allowing it to evolve at a measured pace without succumbing to the allure of every shiny new tool. However, the emergence of AI presents a singular challenge, one that makes doing nothing all but impossible.

The disruptive potential of AI in education cannot be overstated. For centuries, the cornerstone of our pedagogical approach has been the written word – assignments and assessments that serve as both a means of developing and gauging understanding. The AI-powered tools capable of generating human-like responses threaten to undermine this foundational element of education. Inaction in the face of this shift is not merely ill-advised; it is a recipe for curricular erosion and a potential deskilling of an entire generation. Most educators intuitively understand the threat, hence the tinge of moral panic surrounding the AI invasion of education. 

Moreover, a passive approach to AI in education risks exacerbating existing inequities. As Leon Furze, a prominent voice in the field, has vividly described, policing student use of AI tools will inevitably lead to a new digital divide. Access to these technologies, even at the seemingly modest price point of $20 per month, can serve as a significant barrier for many students. The solution lies not in restriction, but in universal training – ensuring that all students are equipped with the skills to harness AI efficiently, thus leveling the playing field.

The stakes extend beyond the classroom. Higher education and K-12 institutions that fail to adapt to the AI revolution risk further straining their already tenuous relationships with employers. In an era where the relevance of traditional education is increasingly questioned, ignoring the clear signals from the labor market is a perilous path. It leaves educational institutions vulnerable to political attacks and diminishes their ability to prepare students for the realities of the modern workforce.

The imperative, then, is clear: embrace the bots. This is not a call for wholesale abandonment of traditional pedagogy, but rather a recognition that AI must be woven into the fabric of our educational approach. Curriculum must be revised, assignments and assessments reimagined to not only incorporate but require the use of AI. Every student, regardless of background or discipline, should be exposed to and ideally proficient in leveraging these tools.

Such a transformation is no small undertaking. It demands resources, commitment, visionary leadership, and a comprehensive institutional strategy. But the alternative – a slow, painful descent into irrelevance – is far more daunting. The question is not whether education can afford to embrace AI, but whether it can afford not to. In this particular case, inaction is the riskiest action of all.

Why am I obsessed with custom bots?

Policies are meant to cover a wide range of cases, but when you're faced with a specific situation, wading through all that information can be a real pain. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You just want to know what applies to your case, but you're forced to read through pages and pages of stuff that doesn't matter to you. No wonder people don't bother reading policies at all.

And that's where the real problem lies. When people don't read policies, they end up doing things without knowing if they're compliant or not. They hope that if they make a mistake, someone will catch it down the line. But that's a risky game to play. It's why we have all these layers of control, multiple signatures, and quality checks in place. We're trying to catch all those errors that happen when people don't follow the rules.

But what if we could flip the script? What if we could make it easy for people to find the information they need, when they need it? That's where AI-powered bots come in. These bots can bridge the gap between broad policies and specific cases. They can take a person's situation, analyze the relevant policies, and give them the exact information they need to move forward.

Imagine how much time and effort that could save. No more reading through endless pages of policies, no more guesswork, no more hoping you got it right. Just clear, concise guidance that helps you get things done quickly and correctly.

And here's the kicker: if everyone used these bots and followed the policies correctly, we could start to relax some of those strict controls. We wouldn't need as many signatures, as many quality checks, as many layers of oversight. We could trust that people are doing things the right way, because they have the tools to do so.

That's the power of AI-powered bots. They can help us move from a culture of control to a culture of empowerment. They can give people the information they need to make good decisions, without bogging them down in unnecessary details.

Of course, it's not a silver bullet. We'll still need policies, and we'll still need some level of oversight. But AI-powered bots can help us strike a better balance. They can help us create a system that's more efficient, more effective, and more user-friendly.

So if you're struggling with the gap between policies and specific cases, it's time to start exploring AI-powered bots. They might just be the key to unlocking a better way of working. And if you need help getting started, well, that's what people like me are here for. Let's work together to build something that makes a real difference.