Becoming ‘robot-proof’: Conversation between presidents explores the future of education
As artificial intelligence becomes normalized in the workplace, Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun believes any job can be at risk of becoming of becoming obsolete, and no industry is immune.
His solution? To reskill, upskill, and even reinvent ourselves in order to stay relevant and forward-thinking, with an emphasis on the need for lifelong learning.
“Now who is going to do it?” Aoun asked the audience during a public conversation with Virginia Tech President Tim Sands about the role of universities in preparing students to succeed in a world of artificial intelligence and automation.
The limitations of AI
Aoun is the author of "Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," published originally in 2017. The book’s second edition addresses how colleges and universities can meet the challenges and opportunities associated with the transformative effects of AI.
Aoun says in order to become “robot-proof,” universities should equip every student with a combination of three literacies: AI literacy, data literacy, and human literacy. In other words, the things humans can do that machines cannot yet duplicate.
“Where do you think we’re headed in the next five to 10 years with AI?” Sands asked. “I think there are still questions about what it means to be human. Is it a moving boundary?”
“It’s a moving boundary, but let’s not be in awe in front of artificial intelligence. There are limitations,” Aoun said. “If we look at AI now, it doesn’t’ have common sense, it doesn’t have logic, and it doesn’t understand context. We humans live and work in context and we are extremely good at moving from one context to another. Machines do not understand that yet.”
A common language
As Virginia Tech expands its impact across the commonwealth and the world, Sands noted Northeastern University’s global network of campuses, which has found success in creating a uniformly authentic environment for students under one institution.
“How do you connect everyone so that students, faculty, and partners feel connected to the entire network of Virginia Tech?” Sands asked.
“All our campuses are unified with respect to our strategic plan, which brings us together and gives us a common language,” Aoun said. “In addition, if you look at them as satellites, they will always be satellites. If you look at them as centers of innovation and experimentation, that means they are enriching the whole network.”
The discussion was part of Virginia Tech’s Presidential Speaker Series. You can watch the full conversation the president’s web page.
