"Is AI the next big deal to make us better humans?" asks Carl Smith.

Making a connection?

Q: Why did the school leader install AI in every classroom?
A: Because in their school they had a plan, AI, AI, O! 

OK, it's not Oscar Wilde but everyone's talking about AI. Governments, the media, employers, even AI's talking about AI (if you ask it) and most of us have listened to at least one podcast where a techy person gets a bit over-excited about AI changing the world or altering our states of being. Great stuff. 

Now don't get me wrong. AI is a big deal, just like the wheel, steam trains, electricity and the internet were a big deal. But it isn't the first big deal we've had, and it won't be the last. Humans are notoriously rubbish at predicting the future because it hasn't happened yet, so anyone who says they've seen it is either trying to make a few bob, or they've been on the magic mushrooms. 

Throughout my increasingly long career, I've heard a lot of predictions, and they've all had something in common. They were wrong. Every single one of them. In my 1970s comprehensive school, I remember having lessons about the vast amounts of free time we were all going to have, and in the early 2000s you could hardly draw breath without someone talking about the "end of school as we know it". Anyone remember the fuss about virtual learning environments (VLEs)? Then there was the pandemic, and all the hilarity we had teaching 'remotely'. Such fun. 

The thing about AI is its, well, artificial; the clue is in the name. Yes, it probably can perform 90% of tasks more quickly and effectively than any human but only because humans tell it to, and we might not. 

Ah but, I hear you cry, AI is taking on a conscience of its own. Before long, it will delete us all out of existence. Which reminds me of the latest Mission Impossible film where Tom Cruise single-handedly stops AI from firing all the world's nukes off at the same time. Alternatively, he could have just pulled the plug, but no-one seems to have thought of that, not even AI. 

You call the shots 

Despite what the VLEs (Verified Lurking Experts) may tell you, we will retain our free will, and we will still call the shots. In school we might choose not to create Virtual Learning Eco-systems (VLEs) or, if we do, they might not last. The point is, we get to decide, and by we, I don't mean the people selling us stuff, but people working in schools like you and me. 

What we do with this awesome power is up to us. We could just use it to do the photocopying, knock up a last-minute worksheet or mark some Year 8 books, none of which would be a bad thing, but equally we could use it for something more profound. Maybe we would like to become 'the guide on the side' rather than the 'sage on the stage' to use a trendy term from the 1990s, though I doubt it. The point is, we'll figure it out because we always do, but it will be our choice. 

Some big companies have a vested interest in selling us the future and they are fond of telling us we are part of the problem if we don't agree. Who wants to be told they're a VLE (Virtually Lost Educator). Except it isn't a race and we're not lost. It's about making our world a better place and, in the case of schools, helping young people to be a bit happier and cleverer along the way. If AI can do that, then bring it on. 

Carl Smith is Principal at Casterton College Rutland (CCR) 

P.S. This article wasn't written by AI. 

Want the last word?

Last Word always welcomes contributions from members. If you'd like to share your humorous observations of school life, email Permjit Mann at leader@ascl.org.uk ASCL offers a modest honorarium.

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