It’s no surprise that educators have an uneasy relationship with genetic artificial intelligence. They fear the impact of plagiarism and machine-generated essays and “hallucinations” — where the system confidently claims something is true that isn’t simply because it doesn’t know better — of tools like ChatGPT and Bard. There is a palpable concern that genetic artificial intelligence will become a substitute for authentic learning: something that will help a person pass a test without having to absorb and internalize the material.
While there is no doubt that AI has been used to bypass the learning process, ChatGPT has already taken on the role of an ad hoc personal trainer for millions, changing the patterns of consumption learning and reinforcing our relationship with education. The potential for an AI teaching assistant—that guides, encourages, and guides students through the material in a one-to-one relationship—is understandable. And the scalability of AI means that anyone can benefit from it.
AI can — and, for many, already does he’s got did — learning addictive. The reasons why have less to do with cutting-edge advances in artificial intelligence and computer science and more to do with the fundamentals of what makes a student engaged, motivated and excited.
Growing up in Armenia, I was fascinated by the fiercely competitive math Olympiads, and my desire to win drove me to spend hours studying and practicing. However, as an adult, I couldn’t find the same motivation when I was studying math at MIT. I’ve spent much of my life researching and understanding the motivations behind learning, some of which I’ve distilled into this piece and much of which led me to found CodeSignal.
What do we mean by addictive?
Education has always been centered around the human element and it is hard to imagine a world where machines can replace it.
When I talk about AI making learning addictive, I’m talking about a sense of excitement and eagerness — instilling a voracious appetite for self-improvement and growth in a learner. But, more importantly, it continues long after they have completed what started their journey. Essentially, this boils down to sustained, long-term motivation. Creating self-motivated students is a challenge that most educators face, and a mountain of educational research touches on this topic.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of motivation. Whether you’re learning to speak a new language or taking the first steps toward a career in programming, learning is inherently iterative, where the learner gradually builds confidence and fluency over time. The prolific programming instructor Zed Shaw once described this as “climbing a mountain of ignorance”. In those first few months — when you is not they’re confident and don’t get the point — they’re the hardest and it’s very easy to give up. And that’s why you need an outside force to encourage the student to continue. Confidence, ability and maybe even greatness are just around the corner.
