The Cognitive Leap Theory

With the arrival of AI, education is experiencing a profound shift, one that requires a rethinking of how we design and implement learning activities. This shift is captured in the cognitive leap theory, which posits that AI is not just an add-on to traditional education but a transformative force that redefines the learning process itself. The Cognitive Leap theory is a core part of a larger AI-positive pedagogy framework.

Traditionally, educational activities have been structured around original or revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, a framework that organizes cognitive skills from basic recall of facts (Remember) to higher-order skills like Evaluation and Creation. While Bloom’s pyramid was often interpreted as a sequential progression, Bloom himself never insisted on a strict hierarchy. In fact, with the integration of AI into the classroom, the importance of these skills is being rebalanced. The higher-order skills, particularly those involving critical evaluation, are gaining prominence in ways that were previously unimaginable.

In an AI-positive pedagogical approach, the focus shifts from merely applying and analyzing information—tasks typically associated with mid-level cognitive engagement—to critically evaluating and improving AI-generated outputs. This represents a significant cognitive leap. Instead of simply completing tasks, students are now challenged to scrutinize AI outputs for accuracy, bias, and effectiveness in communication. This shift not only fosters deeper cognitive engagement but also prepares students to navigate the complex landscape of AI-driven information.

A key component of this approach is the development of meta-AI skills. These skills encompass the ability to formulate effective (rich) inquiries or prompts for AI, to inject original ideas into these prompts, and, crucially, to critically assess the AI’s responses. This assessment is not a one-time task but part of an iterative loop where students evaluate, re-prompt, and refine until the output meets a high standard of quality. This process not only sharpens their analytical skills but also enhances their creative abilities, as they learn to think critically about the inputs and outputs of AI systems.

Moreover, the traditional view that learning progresses linearly through Bloom’s Taxonomy is being upended. In the AI-enhanced classroom, evaluation and creation are no longer the endpoints of learning but are increasingly becoming the starting points. Students must begin by evaluating AI-generated content and then proceed to improve it, a process that requires a deep understanding of context, an awareness of potential biases, and the ability to communicate effectively. This reordering of cognitive priorities is at the heart of the cognitive leap theory, which emphasizes that the future of education lies in teaching students not just to perform tasks but to engage in higher-order thinking at every stage of the learning process.

The implications of this shift are serious. Educators must rethink how they design assignments, moving away from traditional task-based assessments toward activities that challenge students to evaluate and improve upon AI-generated outputs. This requires a new kind of pedagogy, one that is flexible, iterative, and deeply engaged with the possibilities and limitations of AI.

By reimagining the role of higher-order thinking skills and emphasizing the critical evaluation of AI outputs, we can prepare students for a future where cognitive engagement is more important than ever. This is not just about adapting to new technology; it is about transforming the way we think about learning itself. 

Meet Jinni, a Universal Assistant Bot

In a busy campus with 30,000 students, hundreds of faculty, and staff, managing everyday tasks and emergencies can be tricky. Imagine a universal bot, named Jinni, designed to assist everyone regardless of what they want and need to happen. Here’s a glimpse into how this could transform daily life on campus.

Take Dr. Nguyen, for instance. A junior professor with a packed schedule, she was just invited to present at a conference in Milan but wasn't sure how to get funding. She turned to Jinni.
"Good afternoon, Professor Nguyen. What do you need today?" Jinni asked.
"I want to attend a conference in Milan. Can I get support?" she inquired.

Jinni quickly scanned the institutional website and the financial data wharehouse and responded, "In your College, it takes a request from your Associate Dean. There is still some travel budget left, but you need to hurry. However, if it’s not a peer-reviewed conference and you’re not presenting, I wouldn't bother—the College's policy does not allow for this."

It added, "If you’d rather tell me the details about the conference and upload the invitation letter, I can file the request for you. Or, you can follow the link and do it yourself."

Professor Nguyen appreciated the options and the clarity, and chose to upload her details, letting Jinni handle the rest. Within a minute, Jinni said "Done, you shuold hear from the dean's office within a week. I alrready checked your eligibility, and recommended the Associate Dean to approve."

Then there was Mr. Thompson, a new staff member who discovered a puddle in the lobby after a rainy night. He pulled out his phone and described the situation to Jinni.

"You need to file an urgent facilities request. Here’s the link. Would you like me to file one for you? If yes, take a picture of the puddle," Jinni offered. "But if it’s really bad, you may want to call them. Do you want me to dial?"

Mr. Thompson opted for the latter, and within moments, Jinni had connected him to the facilities team.

Finally, there was Jose, a student who had missed the course drop deadline because of a bad flu. Anxious and unsure what to do, he asked Jinni for help. 

"Sorry to hear you’ve been sick. Jose. Yes, there is a petition you can file with the Registrar," Jinni replied. "I can do it for you, but I need a few more details. Do you have a note from your doctor? If not, you should get it first, then take a picture of it for me. If you used the Campus Health Center, I can contact them for you to request documentation. I will then write and submit the petition on your behalf. I will also need a few details - which class, the instructore's name, when you got sick, etc." Jose was relieved to find a straightforward solution to his problem and began to answer Jinni's questions one by one. 

The technology to create a universal agent bot like Jinni is not yet on the open market, but all elements do already exist as prototypes. More advanced customizable AI models, trained on extensive and diverse datasets, are essential to handle such tasks. More active, agentic AI also does exist. It can file and submit forms, not just find them. But even if we could to simply find and interpret policy and procedures, and point users to the right forms, it would alredy be a huge step forward. 

Simplifying and streamlining hundreds of procedures that any complex organization develops is definitely possible, but we know few examples of successful transformations like that. The next best thing is to use AI to help people navigate those procedures. This will lower barriers for all and reduce transactional costs. 

AI is an Amateur Savant

Most people who use AI think it is great in general but believe it does not grasp their area of specialization very well. As an applied philosopher, I create intellectual tools to help others think through their problems. I find AI excellent at clarifying and explaining ideas, but it has never generated an original idea worth writing about. I have yet to see reports from others in any discipline that AI has independently produced groundbreaking ideas.

AI can handle large amounts of data and provide coherent, accurate responses across various fields. This ability is comparable to a well-informed amateur who has a broad understanding but lacks deep expertise. AI can recount historical facts, explain scientific principles, and offer legal insights based on data patterns, yet it falls short in deeper, more nuanced analysis.

In my case, AI can assist by summarizing existing theories or offering possible objections or additional arguments. However, it lacks the ability to generate a genuinely novel idea. I use it a lot, and not even once did it produce anything like that. This limitation stems from its reliance on pre-existing data and patterns, preventing it from achieving the level of innovation that human professionals bring to their fields. Some believe that this limitation will soon be overcome, but I do not think so. It seems to be an intrinsic limitation, a function of AI's way of training.

Professionals/experts, whether in philosophy, medicine, or history, possess a depth of understanding developed through extensive education and practical experience. They apply complex methodologies, critical thinking, and ethical considerations that AI cannot replicate. A doctor considers the patient's history and unique implications of treatments, while a professional historian places events within a broader socio-cultural context. AI, despite its capabilities, often misses these subtleties. It is, in some sense, a savant: a fast, amazing, but inexperienced thinker.

The gap between a capable amateur and a professional/expert might seem small, especially from the point of view of the amateur. However, it is huge and is rooted in the depth of expertise, critical thinking, and the ability to judge that professionals possess; it is a function of intellect, experience, and education. This gap is where educators should look to adapt the curriculum.

In education, we should focus on that gap between the amateur and the professional and conceptualize it as the ultimate learning outcome, then build new skill ladders to claim there. Students need to understand and conquer the gap between AI and a professional expert. These meta-AI skills are our true North. AI can support this learning process by providing clear explanations and diverse perspectives, but it cannot replace the nuanced understanding and innovation that human professionals offer.

What percentage of my text is AI-generated?

Go ahead, ask me the question. However, I would in turn ask you to specify which of the following kinds of assistance from AI you are interested in.  

1. Distilling information into summaries
2. Revamping and recasting content
3. Polishing grammar, spelling, and punctuation
4. Sparking ideas and crafting titles
5. Conjuring additional arguments or perspectives
6. Spotting potential counterarguments or objections
7. Constructing and organizing content
8. Juxtaposing points from multiple sources
9. Scrutinizing and refining existing content
10. Demystifying complex ideas or jargon
11. Architecting outlines and organizational structures
12. Fashioning examples or illustrations
13. Tailoring content for different audiences or formats
14. Forging hooks or attention-grabbing openings
15. Sculpting strong conclusions or call-to-actions
16. Unearthing relevant quotes or citations
17. Decoding concepts in simpler terms
18. Fleshing out brief points or ideas
19. Trimming verbose text
20. Honing clarity and coherence
21. Smoothing the flow between paragraphs or sections
22. Concocting metaphors or analogies
23. Verifying and authenticating information
24. Proposing synonyms or alternative phrasing
25. Pinpointing and eliminating redundancies
26. Diversifying sentence variety and structure
27. Maintaining consistency in tone and style
28. Aligning content with specific style guides
29. Devising keywords for SEO optimization
30. Assembling bullet points or numbered lists
31. Bridging sections with appropriate transitions
32. Flagging areas that need more elaboration
33. Accentuating key takeaways or main points
34. Formulating questions for further exploration
35. Contextualizing with background information
36. Envisioning visual elements or data representations
37. Detecting potential areas of bias or subjectivity
38. Inventing catchy titles or headlines
39. Streamlining the logical flow of arguments
40. Boosting text engagement and persuasiveness
41. Rooting out and rectifying logical fallacies
42. Imagining hypothetical scenarios or case studies
43. Illuminating alternative perspectives on a topic
44. Weaving in storytelling elements
45. Uncovering gaps in research or argumentation
46. Producing counterexamples or rebuttals
47. Bolstering weak arguments
48. Harmonizing tense and voice inconsistencies
49. Composing topic sentences for paragraphs
50. Integrating data or statistics effectively
51. Devising analogies to explain complex concepts
52. Injecting humor or wit
53. Eradicating passive voice usage
54. Compiling topic-specific vocabulary lists
55. Enhancing paragraph transitions
56. Untangling run-on sentences
57. Articulating thesis statements or main arguments
58. Infusing content with sensory details
59. Resolving dangling modifiers
60. Conceiving potential research questions
61. Incorporating rhetorical devices
62. Rectifying pronoun inconsistencies
63. Anticipating potential counterarguments
64. Embedding anecdotes effectively
65. Mending comma splices
66. Drafting potential interview questions
67. Sprinkling in cultural references
68. Correcting subject-verb agreement errors
69. Designing potential survey questions
70. Adorning text with figurative language
71. Repositioning misplaced modifiers
72. Brainstorming potential titles for sections or chapters
73. Integrating expert opinions
74. Paring down wordiness
75. Exploring potential subtopics
76. Weaving in statistical data
77. Eliminating tautologies
78. Coining potential taglines or slogans
79. Embedding historical context
80. Untangling mixed metaphors
81. Developing potential FAQs and answers
82. Incorporating scientific terminology
83. Fixing split infinitives
84. Generating potential discussion points
85. Blending in technical jargon
86. Expunging clichés
87. Crafting potential calls-to-action
88. Inserting industry-specific terms
89. Replacing euphemisms
90. Extracting potential pullout quotes
91. Interweaving mathematical concepts
92. Eliminating redundant phrasing
93. Compiling potential glossary terms and definitions
94. Introducing philosophical concepts
95. Standardizing formatting
96. Curating potential appendix content
97. Incorporating legal terminology
98. Clarifying ambiguous pronouns
99. Cataloging potential index terms
100. Synthesizing interdisciplinary perspectives
101. Writing long list of AI uses for content generation

The Three Wave Strategy of AI Implementation

Whether it's a university, a tech giant, a manufacturing company, a public utility, or a government agency, the complexity of operations can be overwhelming. To illustrate this point, Claude and I have generated a list of over 1,150 workflows typical for a large university, many of which can be further broken down into smaller, more specific processes.

Given this complexity, the question arises: Where do we start with AI implementation? The answer lies in a strategic, phased approach that considers the unique characteristics of each workflow and the organization's readiness for AI adoption.

The First Wave: Low-Hanging Fruit

The initial phase of AI implementation should focus on what we call the "low-hanging fruit" - workflows that meet three crucial criteria:

1. Self-evident quality: The output quality is immediately obvious and doesn't require complex evaluation.
2. Single-person control: The workflow is typically managed or executed by one individual.
3. Ready-made AI tools: The process can be enhanced using existing AI tools without requiring specialized development. It is either using one of the primary LLM's or building a custom bot.

These criteria help identify areas where AI can quickly and effectively augment human efforts, improving efficiency and potentially enhancing the quality of service provided. Based on these criteria, here's a priority list of workflows that could be considered for the first wave of AI implementation. These are just examples:

1. Student services
• Student and prospective student advising of all kinds
2. Resume and Cover Letter Review (Career Services)
   • Offering individual resume critiques
   • Assisting with cover letter development
3. Academic Policy Development and Enforcement (Academic Affairs)
   • Drafting and revising academic policies
4. Health Education and Outreach (Health and Wellness Services)
   • Creating and distributing health education materials
5. Sustainability Education and Outreach (Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives)
   • Creating sustainability guides and resources for campus community
6. Digital Marketing and Social Media Management (University Communications and Marketing)
   • Creating and curating content for various platforms
7. Grant Proposal Development and Submission (Research and Innovation)
   • Assisting faculty with proposal writing
8. Financial Aid Counseling (Financial Aid and Scholarships)
   • Providing one-on-one counseling sessions
   • Offering debt management and financial literacy education
9. Alumni Communications (Alumni Relations and Development)
   • Producing alumni magazines and newsletters
10. Scholarly Communications (Library Services)
    • Supporting faculty in publishing and copyright issues
    • Providing guidance on research impact metrics
11. International Student and Scholar Services (International Programs and Global Engagement)
    • Providing immigration advising and document processing

This first wave serves multiple purposes. It demonstrates the proof of principle, making more stakeholders comfortable with AI integration. It also helps build internal expertise and confidence in working with AI technologies. These early successes can pave the way for more ambitious implementations in the future.

The Second Wave: Tackling Costly Workflows

Once the organization has gained experience and confidence from the first wave, it can move on to more complex and costly workflows. These are typically processes that involve significant labor, occur frequently, and have a broad scope of impact on the organization. However, it is crucial to narrow down this list based on feasibility and readiness for AI implementation.

For instance, while teaching is undoubtedly one of the most labor-intensive and impactful processes in a university, we do not yet have sufficient knowledge on how to make it significantly more efficient through AI. Some processes, like teaching, may never be fully optimized by AI because to their inherently relational nature. 

Note, this is also an opportunity to review major workflows; they often evolved over the years, and are far from ideal efficiency. AI can help review these workflows, and recommend streamlining. And of course, AI can be integrated into actually doing the work. 

The Third Wave: Enterprise-Level Solutions

Only after successfully navigating the first two waves should an organization consider enterprise-level AI solutions. These solutions have the potential to radically redefine the organization's core operations, placing AI at the center of its processes. This level of integration requires a deep understanding of AI capabilities, a clear vision of the organization's future, and a robust infrastructure to support AI-driven operations. Most importantly, it requires specialized tools and high level of security. 

The Timeline and Exceptions

This phased approach to AI implementation is not a quick process. For most large, complex organizations, it could take a couple of decades to fully realize the potential of AI across all workflows. However, there are exceptions. Some businesses with simpler and fewer workflows, such as narrowly specialized customer service operations, may be able to leapfrog straight into the third wave, especially if they have prior experience with AI technologies.

But these are the exceptions rather than the rule. For the majority of organizations, the path to comprehensive AI implementation requires a well-thought-out strategy, clear priorities, and a focus on building confidence and expertise over time.

Integrating AI into a complex organization's workflows is a marathon, not a sprint. It asks for patience, strategic thinking, and a willingness to learn and adapt. The key is to approach this journey with a clear strategy, well-defined priorities, and a commitment to building internal AI expertise. 

AI is not going to implement itself, but governments can help

The AI hype has passed, and the overexcited futurists' voices are mercifully fading away. We're now entering a practical era where AI is leveraged to boost productivity in businesses, non-profit, and public organizations. This shift brings a sobering realization: AI integration requires a meticulous, pragmatic approach to build reliable and trustworthy systems. It's a lot of work and requires some strategy.

When a single person manages a well-defined workflow, integrating AI is relatively straightforward. It's easy to incorporate AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to assist with ad copy, reports, or applications. The beauty of these scenarios lies in their simplicity - the user acts as both operator and quality controller, immediately judging the output's effectiveness.

However, the story changes dramatically when we shift to multi-user workflows or more complex processes, where both inputs and outputs are more of a collective responsibility. I recently spoke with an Accounts Payable team who posed a challenging question: "Yes, we can see that AI can help review travel claims, but can you guarantee it's going to be 100% accurate?" I couldn't provide that guarantee; I don't have time to conduct a hundred tests, and I don't even have access to a hundred travel reports. They emphasized their need for completely audit-proof outcomes. This conversation highlighted the trust issues that arise when moving from AI enthusiasts to skeptics in larger organizations. And organizations should have a healthy group of skeptics to remain viable.

I've also recently been a fly on the wall during discussions between healthcare executives and a U.S. lawmaker. The executives explained that each AI-assisted medical procedure needs validation, which is expensive and often duplicated across multiple hospital systems. This challenge extends beyond healthcare. For instance, when using AI to crunch data in all organizations, we need to understand its reliability in analyzing large datasets, cleaning them, and handling outliers.

The problem is that no private institution can conduct the kind of comprehensive testing and validation needed to establish trust in AI systems across various industries. We cannot seriously trust claims of startups who are trying to sell a specialized product to an industry or a government organization. It's not clear how a hypothetical validation private service would monetize such an endeavor.

This is where I believe government involvement becomes crucial. Instead of obsessing with deep fakes and ethics, that's what governments should be doing. Governments can collaborate with industry experts to develop standardized benchmarks for AI reliability and performance. They could establish certification programs that act as quality marks, assuring users that AI systems have undergone rigorous testing. Moreover, government funding could support businesses, NGOs, and government agencies in conducting extensive AI testing, especially benefiting smaller organizations lacking the necessary resources.

In my view, public-private partnerships are key to navigating these challenges. By leveraging expertise from both sectors, we can develop robust testing frameworks and create dependable AI systems. This approach would pave the way for more efficient and innovative workflows across industries, ensuring that the benefits of AI are realized while maintaining trust and reliability. 

Effort in Learning: The Good, the Bad, and the AI Advantage

Many educators argue that AI makes learning too easy, suggesting that students need to apply effort to truly learn. This perspective, however, confuses the notion of effort with the process of learning itself. The belief that every kind of effort leads to learning overlooks a significant aspect of cognitive psychology: the nature and impact of cognitive load.

Cognitive load theory, developed by John Sweller, offers a crucial framework for understanding how students learn. It posits that the human brain has a limited capacity for processing information. Sweller distinguished between three types of cognitive load: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Intrinsic cognitive load is inherent to the task itself. For instance, solving a complex mathematical problem has a high intrinsic load due to the complexity of the content. Germane cognitive load, on the other hand, refers to the mental resources devoted to processing, construction, and automation of schemas, which are structures that help solve problems within a specific domain. 

The most problematic, however, is extraneous cognitive load. This type of load is not related to the task but to the way information is presented or to the extraneous demands placed on learners. High extraneous cognitive load can distract and stunt learning, making it harder for students to engage meaningfully with the material. For example, a poorly designed textbook that requires constant cross-referencing can add unnecessary cognitive load, detracting from the student's ability to learn. A terrible lecture or a busy-work assignments do the same. If you think that every effort by a student is valuable, you are a hazer, not a teacher.

The challenge, therefore, is not to eliminate all effort but to ensure that the effort students exert is directed towards productive ends. In other words, we need to reduce extraneous cognitive load and increase germane cognitive load. The true aim is to leverage AI to enhance germane cognitive load, directly aiding in the acquisition of schemas necessary for solving discipline-specific problems.

Every academic discipline has core problems that students are expected to solve by the end of their programs. The first step is to mercilessly clean the language of learning outcomes from wishy-washy jargon and focus on these fundamental problems. By identifying these top-level problems, educators can better understand the sequences of skills and knowledge students need to acquire.

Once these core problems are identified, it is crucial to examine how professionals in the field solve them. This involves a detailed analysis of the mental schemas that experts use. Schemas are cognitive structures that allow individuals to organize and interpret information. They enable professionals to recognize patterns, make decisions, and solve problems efficiently. For example, a doctor has schemas for diagnosing illnesses based on symptoms and test results, while an engineer has schemas for designing structures that withstand specific stresses. It is very important to understand if the field is changing and people solve those problems with AI allready, or will be doing so soon. 

AI can play a pivotal role in helping students develop these schemas. These technologies can identify where a student is struggling and provide targeted support, ensuring that cognitive resources are directed towards germane learning activities rather than being wasted on extraneous tasks.

To achieve this, we need to revisit the basic principles of instructional design. While these principles remain fundamentally the same, they require new thinking in light of AI capabilities. Instructional design should focus on reducing extraneous cognitive load by simplifying the learning environment and minimizing distractions. Simultaneously, it should increase germane cognitive load by providing challenging and meaningful tasks that promote the construction of schemas.

Moreover, educators need to recognize where cognitive load is not useful and should focus exclusively on the germane kind. This might mean redesigning courses to incorporate AI tools that can automate routine tasks, provide instant feedback, and offer complex, real-world problems for students to solve. Such an approach ensures that students are engaged in deep, meaningful learning activities rather than busywork.

Ad summam, the integration of AI in education is not about making learning easier in a superficial sense. It is about making learning more effective by ensuring that students' cognitive resources are directed towards activities that genuinely promote understanding and skill acquisition. By focusing on germane cognitive load and leveraging AI to support instructional design, we can create learning environments that foster deep, meaningful learning and prepare students to solve the complex problems of their disciplines. This calls for a rigorous rethinking of educational practices and a commitment to harnessing AI's potential to enhance, rather than hinder, the learning process.