AI and the Future of HE - 19th August 2024

Hi

Hope you had wonderful weekends wherever you may be. ?After a frantic week of workshops, talks, and trainings at either end of Vietnam mine was uber-relaxed - went out for a run, walked the dog, had a nap. ?Pretty quiet but absolutely fantastic after the week that was. ?

Anyway, enough about that - it's Monday, so let's kick the week off with a few notes from the world of AI:

Ex-Google CEO Schmidt's AI Forecast: A Glimpse into Tech's Crystal Ball

Eric Schmidt (ex-CEO of Google) gave a recent talk at Stanford - which, given who he is and the vantage point this gives him on the whole AI thing, are very much worth a listen (or just click here for a quick 3m highlight).? “In the next year, you’re going to see very large context windows, agents, and text-to-action. When they’re delivered at scale, it’s going to have an impact on the world at a scale that no one understands yet. Much bigger than the horrific impact we’ve had by social media in my view.”? Yikes.?

There are a few semi-technical terms in here so let’s break this down very quickly:

• Context window effectively = working memory.? Schmidt is talking about “very large context windows” in the future - so, given models like Gemini 1.5 Pro already have a 2-million token context window (i.e., well over 1m words) we already have AIs that can read the entirety of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past and go back over their favourite bits afterwards - or smash through the Lord of the Rings three times. Impressive but, it gets really extra interesting when you have
• AI Agents that can oversee, adapt, and take action on these things - checking work, revising for improvement(s), and effectively acting in an oversight capacity towards… well, whatever goal you/they have in mind; and then
• Text-to-action.? As in - do things in the real world.? Not necessarily robots (tho that’s of course very possible) but it might be quicker to think of things that aren’t connected to a computer in some way > the other way around…. tie all those together and you start to think he might be right. We have no way of understanding what might be coming - and soon. ??

AI Trailblazers: Lessons from the Corporate Frontlines

Two recent studies are pointing the way to how industries are responding to AI: a recent Deloitte’s study has shown that 43% of CEOs have already implemented AI in their organisations while the Enterprise AI Maturity Index from Oxford Economics looks at how AI-first companies (or “Pacesetters”) are leveraging AI in their businesses.? Drawn from across a wide range of sectors in over 20 countries, it is interesting to note that the average AI Maturity index score is just 44/100 suggesting that most organisations are still in the early stages of their AI transformation journey.? #youarenotalone

So what makes for a Pacesetter organisation?? These organisations are twice as likely to have a clear, shared AI vision (65% vs. 31%), and to have defined metrics for measuring AI success (62% vs. 28%).?? Beyond that, they proactively upskill their workforce with a multifaceted upskilling approach, including training, AI champions, and learning events.? As a result, 61% of Pacesetters are confident their employees have the right mix of skills to meet their AI strategies vs just 30% of other organisations.? Interesting to note as well, that all organisations are planning to increase their AI spend in the coming year - but even here the Pacesetters are somewhat ahead - 94% to 81%.?

Definitely some food for thought in there. AI champions, for example, is a wonderful idea - located in schools/specific locations who can help drive innovation through learning events around best practice, case studies/asset development, mentoring, etc.? ???

AI's Reality Check: Navigating the Hype Cycle

Is this whole AI thing just a big ole hype bubble?? The recent drop in technology stocks in global markets has certainly suggested there might be a need for some overdue correction and that would certainly map to AI’s? position on the Gartner Hype Cycle (sliding towards the Trough of Disillusionment).? As this moment in time, this from Fortune is a timely read (and I hear 12ft.io is great if you want to work around paywalls ??).?

Headlines: AI makes mistakes - this is a feature for now, not a bug.? AI is greedy for power and data both with major implementation issues around accuracy, liability, security and, in our context, privacy.? That said, AI has transformative potential - as the hype settles, there’s an opportunity for incremental progress and the development of use-cases and applications that deliver real value.? The trick is to approach this in a pragmatic fashion identifying specific business problems that AI can address, developing feasible implementation plans, and maintaining a balanced perspective on AI's capabilities.? “Regardless of what the sales reps may have you believe, technology this complex is not something you sprinkle onto an organisation for an easy win” ( Cassie Kozyrkov - ex-Google Chief Decision Scientist and maker-of-my-day when she quoted Bj?rk and reminded me of this banger).?

AI Cognitive Amplifiers: Carlo Iacono's Vision for Revolutionising Higher Education

A new follow worth watching on LinkedIn: Carlo Iacono , University Librarian at Charles Sturt University, challenges us to reimagine the future of Higher Education.? "Are we ready to truly harness its potential in higher education?" he asks, introducing the concept of "AI Cognitive Amplifiers" – a new breed of professionals who don't just use AI, but symbiotically merge their creativity and critical thinking with AI capabilities to reshape our world. ??? Iacono envisions graduates who can compress months of work into days, tackle previously impossible projects, and navigate complex ethical dilemmas arising from AI integration. This isn't about AI replacing humans; it's about redefining what's possible when human ingenuity is amplified by AI.

Expanding on this concept in a longer article titled "Unleashing Superhuman Potential: The Rise of AI Cognitive Amplifiers in Higher Education," Iacono gets deep on how we might nurture these AI-enhanced polymaths.? He proposes a radical shift in educational approaches, including immersive AI environments, accelerated timelines, and interdisciplinary projects that push the boundaries of what's achievable.? While acknowledging the challenges – from ensuring equitable access to preventing cognitive dependency – Iacono argues that the potential rewards are staggering. " By engaging in this kind of speculative thinking," he writes, "we open ourselves to a broader range of possibilities, potentially inspiring innovations that could shape the direction of education in the years to come."? ??????

And even if this is a bit beyond your comfort for now, definitely keep an eye on his output - got some great content on AI x Assessments with a particular eye on the importance of validity > punitive policing.

48 Hours of AI-Powered Creativity: Runway's Film Challenge Returns

Film-makers and creatives - what are you doing September 14th-16th?? Or what about your students?? If your answer for either was, “not much” I have great news for you.? Runway’s two day short film competition is back ??? Open to filmmakers from around the world, teams of 1-3 have 48 hours to ideate and make a 1-4m film. Participants get a stack of credits (300k on Runway), dedicated Discord channels, a bunch of other SFX resources and more. Grand prize - $$$ and 1m Runway credits with an invite to join the Runway Creative Partners Programme. The last two editions were awesome - check out the October 2023 winner here, the February 2024 winner here, and plenty more on the page above. Enjoy and let us know if anyone joins - love this stuff ??????

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