Stephen Downes

Another discussion of the changing role of universities. Here, Alex User describes the changing role of universities from focusing on pure research to work that diretcly benefits the community. Things like 'promoting local economic growth, or providing solutions to "grand challenges" or sustainable development goals.' Now the precise way you describe 'benefit the community' matters here, because the way Usher describes it, "the lessons institutions learned with respect to growing research outputs do not translate well into these new missions. Research is something that can be done within academia; these new tasks require partnerships and relationships." It needs orchestration, some sort of central coordination, which means an end to the idea of self-governance for university research. I'm not honestly sure that central coordination makes sense, but mechanisms for cooperation surely are.

Joshua Knobe sets up the distinction by contrasting what "the norms and institutions" perceive as 'core' with what jobseekers are apparently doing, that is, "purely a priori work in the metaphysics of mind" addressing questions like "the mind-body problem, consciousness, the nature of intentionality, etc." versus "some kind of empirical approach" looking at "how some specific aspect of the mind actually works". I see his point, but constructed as it is, it's a straw man. Almost nobody does "purely a priori work" any more, and the major questions are (to my mind at least) mostly solved: there is no mind-body distinction, consciousness is experience, and intentionality is representation. Meanwhile, though, the idea of "how some specific aspect of the mind actually works" is rife with conceptual confusion. The people who do understand the latest empirical work are asking questions that will not (necessarily) be resolved experimentally, questions like "how do we measure 'intelligence'?", "do 'beliefs' really exist?" and "what does it mean to be an 'agent'?"

All of this sounds good. Elise Mueller chats with Duke's David Stein about the way he has integrated AI into his work: "Stein uses AI in platforms like Canva... to design compelling visuals for presentations... Tools like Descript enable him to produce engaging videos... Stein can quickly summarize survey results and analyze data." Great, right? But I have the feeling that the fun in AI comes from using it yourself, not watching others use it. I think people are pretty unimpressed with the AI visuals. I feel like I would be far less likely to linker through a gallery of AI-produced photos than photos taken by people on their most recent trip. It's not that I'm anti-AI, it's just that I don't get excited by it. Not in that way, at least.

I have long predicted that AI would be used to support the recruitment and hiring process, but there's an unwanted side effect: applicants can also use AI to enhance their chances to get through screening and pass the interview. This article focuses more on the latter problem. "Large language models are forcing tech hiring managers to adapt software engineering interview processes, fast." But it's hard not to believe that, in the long run, AI will give employers the edge over individual job seekers. That's actually good news, I think, for the genuinely qualified people out there.

Bryanm Alexander offers a comprehensive scan of recent developments in AI. The list isn't explicitly pointed at EdTech, though I know he always has that in the back of his mind. He comments, "there are signs of AI serving as an intermediary between people, often several AIs... I think of this as an automation layer in human activities, an intermediary which increasingly fits into our lives." Alan Levine, meanwhile, takes one to the tools listed here out for a spin: Mistral AI's image description tool. It's enough to make tired metadata authors rejoice. "Mistral is doing a good job of describing and then ending in a bit of context or suggestion of meaning."

Rahim Somani argues for a changing role for universities in the community. "Rather than relying solely on traditional instruction and theoretical discussions, universities should invest in immersive experiences like workshops, real-world projects and reflective practices. These experiences cultivate resilience, self-awareness and an understanding of failure – qualities essential for thriving in uncertain futures." The idea - which I advocate - is to become an essential part of the community, too valuable to stop funding.