Augmented Education in the Global Age

 Augmented Education in the Global Age is a topical book, providing good overviews and discussion of the implications and impact of various technologies on education, in particular the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will disrupt education as it is now framed.

The book is published by Routledge, edited by Daniel Araya and Peter Marber with parts available as 'open access'. I read the copy lodged as an ebook in the institutional library. 

The book is divided into 3 parts with 17 chapters.

An introductory chapter by the editors, summarises each chapter.

Part one has 6 chapters on 'augmented work in the global age'

The first chapter 'augmenting human intellect: A conceptual framwork'  is a reproduction of D. C. Engelbert's 1962 seminal report which has influenced many major players in the IT industry.

The second chapter by J.M Fung and S. Hosseini, connects AI to a context of new education for work as proposed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Of note is the claim that the lifespan of some contemporary occupations is becoming shorter, falling to around 5 years! with many having to re-invent their careers 8 times across their working lifes.

In the next chapter, M. Chui et al. (Mckinsey research team) define the 'bio-revolution' and how AI contributes to improving healthcare, food production and alleviate climate change.

The fourth chapter, J. Gregg, proposes the economic and employment opportunities for the 'Cosmos economy' and the role of AI in augmenting deep space research.

Next, Columbia University's Climate School inaugural dean, R. Defries advocates for the shift to a new curriculum towards multi-disciplinary approaches to address the many challenges posed by climate change etc.

Chapter six by E. Brynjolsson discusses the question of whether machines will increase productivity and lead to more leisure for humans or drive greater social inequality. Should AI be used to automate or to augment is the key question. History shows us that automation is often where economical focuses lead to by augmentation is actually, in the long run, much more humane and sustainable.

Then a collection of 6 chapters on the impact of AI on education systems.

Chapter seven by A. Papaspyridis and J. La Greca, provides contemporary examples from the HE and school sectors in the US of A on how AI in curriculum design is used for student 'training, grading and special needs education.

Then a chapter by K. Shiohira and W. Holmes, reiterating AI as a tool which is in on way perfect. AI outputs can be biased and inaccurate and ethical issues require addressing before AI is implemented.

In Chapter 9, A. M Paul advocates for the merging and partnership of digital and human smarts as a way to inform curriculum development.

J. Burmeister addresses the question in the next chapter, of what will happen to human lives when it is not dominated by work and the kind of education required to allow for this to occur. 

Chapter 11 focuses on HE, whereby P. Marber argues for HE to focus on creativity and problem solving.

Then D. Araya and M. A. Peters discuss the global implications of AI on learning, using the influence of China's belt and road initiative as a case study.

The last section focuses on policy planning for the augmented future.

Chapter 12 overviews China's AI policy and provided examples of how AI is applied towards the country's education system.

Then the next chapter, looks at the US of A response and how it needs to be better poised to deal with the challenges posed by AI on education.

In chapter 15, I. von Weitershausen of MIT, comparing German and American responses, highlights the well-known mismatch between the needs of employers and industries and the skills of workers.

T.Wadhwa provides another perspectives from India. In particular, how India must address the disparities within its society to assure the betterment of all its citizens into the future.

The last chapter, revisits the concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a measure to deal with the predicted large scale disruptions.

In all, the first two sections are useful in providing meso viewpoints on how AI impacts society and the role of education in addressing the challenges posed by the rise of AI. AI could be a solution, helping humanity through augmentation of our biological intelligences, to alleviate the many 'weaked' problems faced by the world. Yet, AI may also be applied to creating unrest, wrought by its impact on how work is currently enacted. Therefore, it is important for all countries to think through implications and work at the macro policies which frame how AI contributes (or not) to individual countries' development.