Teach-Secondary-Issue-14.5

Humans in a DIGITAL WORLD Anthony David examines how the increasing adoption of AI should prompt us to reclaim the skills that make us whole H aving initially been a bit overexcited at the launch of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022, we’re nowmoving away from asking, ‘ How can I use AI? ’ to ‘ Why am I using AI at all? ’ This shift from function to purpose isn’t just a pivot in vocabulary – it’s arguably a turning point in our culture and in education. And the turning point seems to have hit us quickly. Amoral realism As someone who has championed the potential of artificial intelligence and led training across schools, I remain excited about what AI can offer. It can free up time, personalise learning, analyse patterns and expose insights we might miss. Used wisely, AI can be a partner in our pursuit of personal growth. But if we’re not careful – by treating AI as simply a clever tool, or outsourcing too much of our thinking to it – we risk bypassing the very capacities that make us human. My recent book, Education, AI andHuman Thought , begins with a simple question: What does it mean to be a human being in the age of intelligent machines? The answers I found were neither anti- technology, nor technophilic. Rather, they pointed towards a kind of moral realism– the need for us to shape the digital world as humans, and not allow ourselves to be unthinkingly reshaped by it. We’re at a threshold. The old scripts of qualifications, careers and even certain types of knowledge no longer prepare young people for the world. Jobs are changing, and sometimes disappearing. Social structures are shifting. Within this landscape, we need to consider what human skills will endure. By that, I don’t merely mean ‘transferable skills’; I mean deep skills, such as habits of thought, ways of being that help a person remain grounded, relational, imaginative and wise in a world that increasingly prioritises speed, automation and abstraction. Discernment over data One of the first skills we need to recover is that of discernment. Not all information is wisdom, and not every output is trustworthy. As AI floods our learning spaces with possibility, our young people will need to learn how to weigh, question and judge, rather than simply consume. This isn’t about cynicism. It’s about moral courage and intellectual humility. It’s about asking not just, ‘ What does the AI say? ’ but ‘ Is this good? ’ ‘ Is this true? ’ ‘ Who benefits from this decision? ’ Because without discernment, we risk amplifying injustice at digital speed. AI shouldn’t be used as an excuse for delegating thought. Screens flatten us. The digital life can easily “Not all information is wisdom,andnot every output is trustworthy” draw us out of our bodies, our communities and even our sense of self. The risk is that, when used poorly, we 40 teachwire.net/secondary