Priming our future starts with education.

Over the last four months, I’ve been reflecting on my role in this major civilization shift that’s transforming how we live and work in ways not everyone has grasped yet. I’m talking about the societal impact of AI and what it means for each of us moving forward.

One area that captivates me is AI's impact on education.

Wait, what? Why would a CD care about education? To pass quick judgment is common currency nowadays, but the truth is, if you haven’t rethought how you approach life and work, you’re compromising your future.

My first impression when I started looking into this matter was that parents, educators, school leaders and government officials seemed confused and moved slowly. Guidance is needed, was a clear request articulated by Trustee Rachel Chernos Lin (Ward 11) in a recent letter to the Ministry of Education asking for "the establishment of a provincial strategy to support school boards in their understanding and approach to AI”.

So did Trustee Markus de Domenico back in February on behalf of the TCDSB.

My gut tells me the Ontario government response will take time as our fairly new Minister Jill Dunlop settles into her new role and the ministry adapts to new leadership.

The issue with time is that frustration and confusion build up because right now the technology is attractive and available for students to use, while solutions are far from being drafted.

I mean, let’s not look far. Parents still shake their heads, wondering why it took so long to implement policies around cell phone use in classrooms. And honestly, it’s not hard to see why. “Committees is where ideas go to die”, used to say my career mentor Michael Paul, a talented award-winning Executive Creative Director from Toronto.

It’s hard to sort priorities when discussions are public matters. The latest agenda items at some school board meetings, which are fundamental to driving change, have touched on topics like the decline of cricket in Toronto schools, a petition on recognizing the Nakba, and discussions over classroom windows opening only a few inches which makes it challenging for staff and students to learn on hot days. All real topics. All legitimate concerns.

Is AI less of a priority?

I hear crickets.

Well, not that fast. This is indeed a complex matter that needs guardrails. So how can we work faster, while ensuring we review thoroughly before giving students AI tools, parameters and assignments?

School boards, like other organizations, need to simplify and modernize their operations and protocols to be more efficient. Don't you feel at times that we are losing focus? One of the biggest social demands today is to reduce taxpayers burden. Simplification is needed across everything we do. But with education and technology, we need leaders and teams who understand the vision and the value of AI in education and also know where to put boundaries so we don't lose focus. Minimal complexity for practical efficiency will certainly help us keep pace with societal needs. We need to stop feeling offended we are not covering all the needs we have. We care about all voices but my friends, this needs to get done.

To put this into perspective school boards will be evaluating AI from various angles: curriculum and academic achievement, budget implications, technological requirements, privacy and data protection, quality control and result measurements, student safety, ethical considerations, tool assessments and case studies overview, rollouts, communication, teacher training, etc.

Take a breath.

Now back to reality: Some students are using AI daily.

Although there have been incidents involving plagiarism, outrage about using AI is a sign of fear, lack of understanding and inability to adapt to a drastic change in learning and evaluation strategies.

For now, it seems only higher education institutions are incorporating new technologies and tools at a faster pace. However, it’s encouraging to see progress on some fronts: The Halton District School Board in Ontario is developing standards and direction to ensure the safe, effective and responsible use of digital tools for student learning by incorporating AI solutions available to use by grades 7 to 12, effective September 2024.

The TDSB has been a bit slower. In their most recent strategic report, over 8,000 community members offered insights and ideas, including the consideration of innovating the curriculum with artificial intelligence. That's as far as they got in terms of public communication on this matter.

As for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, AI doesn't even appear on the home page which confirms the fact that all boards are working in silos. Information is out there but for parents, and educators it's hard to track progress as communication doesn't trickle down to the community.

Feeling uncertainty and excitement are natural sentiments in the early stages of a transformation of this magnitude. I put myself in the shoes of other parents and teachers and I have tons of questions: How is AI being incorporated into the curriculum? Which digital tool is a must-have and which is a nice-to-have? Can we afford to pay enterprise licenses for all students? How inclusive are some of the solutions out there? There are so many opinions, who do we listen to? Are we equipping our kids for the future? What will going back to pen and paper accomplish? Is there a disconnect between AI literacy and real-world AI skills companies expect us to have? What does personalized education mean for school boards?

There is so much to unpack!

At times I feel like I live in a massive room with this ginormous elephant being ignored. I know AI is in all media channels but nobody in my inner circle is bringing it up, except me. Am I the only one being obsessed about this?

Some people are still unaware of the extent to which artificial intelligence and robotics will affect us. Understandably, there's caution around it. I've seen business leaders foster a do-not-use-AI policy for fear of future implications. But reality is hard to escape, and making bold and fast decisions is certainly giving early adopters competitive advantages.

I'd like to be part of the answer-finders and help sort some things out. I'm a professional and bring my perspective as someone who understands a portion of the technology, I have worked at the forefront of creative departments in healthcare communications agencies for 20 years, I am a visual storyteller, critical thinker, complexity distiller and passionate artist who uses AI daily.

AI is here to stay. If we don’t want to evolve and prepare for what’s ahead, we can’t be disappointed by what tomorrow brings.

Please reach out if this resonates with you: share your comments or send me a DM with your personal experience or perspective on the matter.