Merits of AI-based convergence education

The artificial intelligence imitating human thinking has achieved glorious development. Global IT companies like Google and IBM invest astronomical amount of fund in research on AI. AI is expanding its influence to big data as well as service robot, weather prediction, decision-making, driverless car and medical services. Even in arts, which have long been considered uniquely human, artificial intelligence can imitate works of master artists or create original artworks.

There are movies about AI. “Her” is about falling in love with computer operating system. Ex Machina discusses the confusion associated with distinguishing artificial intelligence from human. In Transcendence, an AI scientist plants his consciousness on a computer and lives through it. These movies commonly address the possibility of AI actually having its own feelings beyond copying the thinking process of the human.

Then, can AI have an ego like human consciousness? Regardless of the speed of technological development in the field, I have proven that AI and computers cannot have human consciousness. However, that does not mean that it will hinder development in the related fields. Instead, it actually tells us the direction. While there are concerned voices about harmful consequences, AI has both good and bad effects just like any other scientific technologies.

One of the good functions of AI is the convergence education. In my school, I have been utilizing AI for years to provide education combining reasoning-based fields such as engineering and mathematics with emotion-oriented arts and humanities. They are student-led projects, analyzing human psychology to apply on marketing and digitizing mood of music. In the process, students display impressive creativity. In the education struggling with cramming method of teaching and accelerated studies, AI-based convergence education can be an interesting alternative.

by Song Dae-jin, Professor of management information system at Chungbuk National University