Could my Next Professor be an AI?

Artificial intelligence has become incredibly sophisticated recently. As Manuel Perez noted, “China recently launched an artificial intelligence (AI) news anchor. Will CSULB have AI faculty and staff to providing instruction and support services by 2030?”

China recently launched an artificial intelligence (AI) news anchor. Will CSULB have AI faculty and staff providing instruction and support services by 2030? #TechnologyCampus #DestinationForFaculty #DestinationForStaff

The concern around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and it’s impact on everything from future of work and automation to computational propaganda and influencing elections, is raising a lot of questions around what AI can and should be used for. And depending on where you stand AI can appear as a welcome support, or an existential threat.

From the student side, AI could become a “study buddy” as player Emily Colville suggested. And make student customer service more effective and easier.

The development of AI technology that can help students with things such as tutoring and homework. More virtuality and interaction within classroomsI think a study buddy AI would be the norm in the future. We already do this with our mobile devices. What types of tutoring and AI would be appropriate for classroom interactions?

In 2030, I think AI integration into customer service departments could help solve student inquiries. Instead of physically going somewhere to ask a question about a student account, a question can be asked online, and through AI, an answer can be given saving time and stress.

AI might make moving around campus seamless. Paul Quezada  suggests using facial recognition to help with student identification to access buildings, checkout books and facilitate proctored exams.

#TechnologyCampus Facial recognition tech will be used to facilitate proctored exams, checkout books, pay for campus-services and allow users to access to rooms & buildings. This will eliminate the need for key-codes and ID cards, which are easier to compromise/abuse. #CSULB2030

But when you explore AI from the faculty perspective, the future can feel very different. On the one hand

On a positive note, using AIs to support student day-to-day needs, could free up time for faculty to focus on research and more qualitative communication with students, as noted by Tangan Gao.

With AI, the robots will do an excellent teaching job as we do in 2030 or sooner such as supervising a group discussion, performing an activity, or conducting a lab session. Faculty can focus more on their own research and direct student research. #TechnologyCampus

But, some question the quality of using AIs to support learning (instead of qualified teachers). Ming Gu brings up that we might lose our communication channels with professors and classmates and Adam is wondering how AIs would affect peer reviews and fact checking.

In an AI based economy of intelligence, what happens to teachers, what happens to peer review/fact checking, what happens to the value 'accredited' education?AI would replace a lot of things, even human brain. I'm afraid of losing actual communication with professors and classmates.

And of course we also need to consider how AI would impact the pay of faculty and staff.

The university could view AI as an opportunity to decrease salary/benefit costs to its budget.

 

There are still a lot of questions to sort out and risks to take into account when it comes to incorporating AI systems in schools. But the interest and curiosity remains around the endless possibilities of utilizing these emerging technologies to help bring value and support to CSULB in 2030.

 

How might emerging technologies such as AI enhance learning and culture at CSULB in 2030? How does the model of education need to change in order to ensure its value in the long term ? Where does 'how to work with an AI at the office' thinking come into play?