Needless to say the specifics and some of the general observations here will be wrong ... but if we are not trying to look into the next few decades, we will be blindsided by both the changes, and the accelerating rate of change. These perspectives are based on a fair amount of research, resources are listed in the Syllabus for my 2038 class. The big issues are the various impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques applied in many professional and industry sectors, genetic engineering affecting health, food production and future generations, and ...
Projections indicate 40% of U.S. jobs will be displaced by AI by 2030. This will impact work force participation (which has been dropping for most of the 21st century), and the need for re-training.
AI will change how our employment system works and in parallel must change how our education system works. Microsoft in introducing it's book "The Future Computed: Artificial Intelligence and its role in society" asserts as "what may be one of the most important conclusions of all. Skilling-up for an AI-powered world involves more than science, technology, engineering and math. As computers behave more like humans, the social sciences and humanities will become even more important. Languages, art, history, economics, ethics, philosophy, psychology and human development courses can teach critical, philosophical and ethics-based skills that will be instrumental in the development and management of AI solutions. If AI is to reach its potential in serving humans, then every engineer will need to learn more about the liberal arts and every liberal arts major will need to learn more about engineering." Tom Friedman, in his book, "Thank You for Being Late" suggests as essential aspects of future education: Reading, writing & Math; 4 C’s: Communications, collaboration, Creativity, Coding; Grit, self motivation; life long learning habits; Entrepreneurship; and learning to Improvise --- at all levels of education for all employees. These are radical changes in expectations for students, employees and educational institutions.
Specifically Educational Institutions Must
A note on personalized mastery education. Personalization today means knowing more about you than you know about yourself -- psychologically, competencies, preferences, relationships, etc. Students can be monitored individually, in real time, and provided customized content that addresses their immediate points of confusion to help them master content. In an education system that applies this approach, teachers become mentors, drawn in to student interactions with insight from "the system". Students will be moving ahead at their own pace, independent of age level segmentation. We may see 5th graders doing calculus, and 12th graders still learning algebra. We will see all students with confidence and mastery at whatever level they achieve. The individualized student profile will move forward with them into college, and the workplace -- and may be the basis for career and curriculum counseling. Students flowing in such a system will have significant advantages over other approaches.
AI Applications --
So let's take that AI assisted learning to the next level. How about AI's that can help you break a bad habit, or add some new ones?
So far so good. What if the tech persuades you to buy a new car (specific brand of course)? Or maybe to vote this way or that? Or to rise up against the government (or some other entity) in violent rebellion? -- Is it possible? I'd like to think not.
Genetics, genome, proteome, biome,
Brain research - monitoring,