New digital work: Digital sovereignty in the workplace - book overview

New Digital work: Digital sovereignty at the workplace- Open access book published 2023 by Springer and edited by A. Shajek and E. A. Hartmann

There are 15 chapters in the book along with introductory and closing chapters by the editors.

The book covers some of the perceived impacts of AI and robotics on work along with other implications. There are case studies from Europe, South Africa, Australia, East Asia, China and Mexico.

Topics range across not only AI and robotics, but also ‘smart’ production systems, human-machine interactions, designing and capability building for digital work and neural networks.

Of note the following chapter:

-          AI and assistance system for TVET – opportunities and risks https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-26490-0_12

By L. Windelband, which is the entry into the book as the chapter came up on my Scholar Alerts a few weeks back.

Discusses the man-machine-interface (M-M-I) and how these could be – tools /assistance scenario; automation scenario (with limited input from workers and devaluation of qualifications), and the hybrid scenario where by there are new forms of monitoring and control of tasks, leading to new requirements for skilled workers.

The challenges these 3 scenarios represent for TVET are discussed. Figure 1 summarises a framework to think how technologies, impact, use of digital and the process related actions, interfaces with the digital networked world of work. Presents the challenges and how AI for example may be used as information assistants, assistant systems or for learning assistance. Then the opportunities and risks are presented. 

A book providing up-to-date discussions on the impact of the digital revolution on work, and in turn education. The importance of understanding and working with 'intelligent' agents cannot be under-estimated. Digital literacy/ AI literacy needs to recognise the complexities and issues as more intimate interfaces are required between humans and machines.

AI in Learning: Designing for the future - some relevant chapters

 AI in learning: Designing for the future is an open access book published by Springer. The editors are and international group of scholars with H. Niemi (Finland), R. D. Pea (U. S. of A) and Y. Lu (China). The book was published at the beginning of 2022, thus the concepts, frameworks etc. proposed are 'pre-Chat-GPT'. However, the premises are sound, based on the large corpus of existing research around AI. However, it is important to read the chapters in the book, with the proviso that things have since moved on somewhat.

After the introductory chapter and a last chapter by the editors, the book has 18 chapters, organised into 4 parts. They are:

- AI expanding learning and well-being throughout the life

- AI games and simulations

- AI technologies for education and intelligent tutoring systems

- AI and ethical challenge in new learning environments. 

There are several chapters of relevance to my present projects/work.

The first chapter on "AI innovations for multimodal learning, interfaces and analytics' by M. Worsley was the route into the rest of the book, having turned up in one of my searches for 'AI in vocational education'. The chapter brings up opportunities for using AI to support project-based, inquiry-driven and problem-solving approaches to learning. Examples are provided of technologies which can be used by learners across modalities to showcase their learning; tools (audio/video) offering insights into how group work is enacted; and guides as to how learning analytics from these multimodal platforms can usefully inform teaching and learning research. 

The chapters in section 3 - education and intelligent tutoring systems - offers concrete ways to usefully deploy AI for personalised learning. The chapters include one on 'training hard skills' by T. Korhonen, T. Lindquist, J. Laine and K. Hakkarainen. 

The chapters in section 4 - AI and ethics - are all useful as they inform on various perspectives with regards to AI ethics.AI augments learning but can also be used as a surveillance tool. The tensions between assistive learning and 'big brother' needs to be balanced with social and cultural norms shaping the way AI is deployed. Some social cultures may find AI surveillance to be a normal course of life but others will find surveillance to be invasive of personal privacy. Ethical considerations are therefore context dependent. What is taken as the norm in one country, is considered challenging in others. 

The last chapter by the editors 'reflections on the contributions and future scenarios in AI-based learning' - summarises the themes introduced and discussed through the book.

As the book is open access, it is a good resource for anyone interested in how AI may enhance education but with the caveat that there are also many issues with regards to how AI is introduced and utilised. The potentialities for personalised learning, drawing from analytics and AI algorithm driven interventions are emergent technologies, with much promise. Ethical issues become crucial in ensuring AI is used as a tool for equitable access to education, and not as a surveillance instrument by the state. 

Scoop - collection of AI related articles

 Here is a Scoop site, curated by Peter Mellow. It archives various blogs / magazine articles etc. on the implications, challenges etc. of AI on education - mostly higher education and the formal school sector.

With the plethora of media on AI at the moment, it is handy to have access to a range of perspectives. Peter works in the health sector as a Director of learning and teaching and learning design. Therefore, his interest are partly vocational but slanted towards health higher education. 

Something to dip into to keep up with how AI impacts education and how various sectors deal with the challenges.

innovating pedagogy 2023 report

 This year's Innovating Pedagogy report provides some good overviews of emergent pedagogies. The report is compiled yearly by the Open University in the UK, this year, also with contributions from the University of Cape Town. The project's home page provides links to previous reports, going back a decade plus to 2012. 

Of note, is that Generative AI is the first pedagogy discussed. Gen AI is also mentioned in the last pedagogy - entangled pedagogies of learning spaces - with some connections to the rhizomic nature of learning as people tap into a range of resources and viewpoints availed through the internet. Of note to vocational learning also is the summary of thoughts and concepts on multimodal pedagogy, although it focuses on communications across many modes, rather than the learning of multimodal skills.

A good overview providing discussion as AI impacts across all educational sectors. 

The homework apocalyse - article recommending how to work around AI in education

 There have been many blogs, webposts, journal articles etc. on the challenges wrought by the advent of generative AI on education.

Here is a blog written by Professor Ethan Mollick on the implications of AI on education with pragmatic ways to leverage off it to help enhance learning, rather than to view generative AI as a threat.

Suggestions include how to work around the use of essays, readings (i.e. to read and summarise), and set problems. The main advise is to not try to hold on to the tried and tested approaches, but to use the opportunity to update and accommodate the challenges AI brings.