Welcome to our page! This project is part of our capstone experience. Throughout our experience, we learned the fears society often has about technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Furthermore, we learned about its positive truth and how it can positively affect our lives and children's learning. Thus, the aim and scope of our page are to educate educators and parents on how we can use technology and AI in the classroom to supplement children's learning experiences while dispelling the fears and stigma surrounding it. Below, in the following order, you can find information about technology and AI, including (1) positive uses of it in life and education, (2) what society fears and why, (3) the reality of it, and (4) why society should not fear it. In addition, there is a PDF of our final capstone paper that you can read for more detailed information. With this, we hope everyone sees and learns the reality and value of technology and AI. Thank you for visiting our page!
AI Positive Uses AI.pdf(1) Positive Uses of AI
There are many positive uses of AI in life, including:
Cars with safety features (i.e., cameras, radars, and laser rangefinders)
Robotics like the Roomba robotic vacuum
Programs that translate a language or help redirect spam in emails
Or AI that helps with autonomous planning and scheduling, like Mitch and Cam's AI refrigerator from Modern Family (watch the clip on the left)!
There are also positive uses & new developments of AI in education. See the infographic on the left for information!
For more detailed information regarding the positive uses of AI in education, please refer to the full paper below.
(2) Fears of AI & Why
Although there are many positive uses of AI, people are still fearful of it. So what do people fear? We asked people, specifically educators and parents, their thoughts on AI and incorporating it into the educational curriculum. The questions we asked included:
What are your thoughts on AI?
Do you use AI?
Is AI a good or bad thing to have in our lives/world?
What about AI in education?
Should it be used at all levels of education or a specific group?
Should we fear or embrace AI?
Most people we talked to had similar answers, including:
They believe that AI is something to fear and could take away jobs.
They do not think we should not use AI for all age groups or even at all, but if it did, then probably for only middle school and up.
Some needed more knowledge about AI to answer. After a brief introduction, they could see the positives of AI but were still uncomfortable with using AI in the classroom.
Overall, people often have a perspective of AI as an enemy or a monster. Just look at the robot M3gan from the recent movie M3gan. Scary, right? If you have not heard of it, you can view the trailer (on the top right) to see how the movie depicts AI as a monster! As for why people tend to have this perspective, there are several reasons, and you can read all about it on the infographic at the bottom right!
For more detailed information regarding what people fear and why, please refer to the full paper below.
Why do people fear & view AI as an enemy & a monster.pdfDifferences Humans vs. AI.pdf(3) The Reality of AI
Since people often fear things they do not understand, it is important that people understand the truth of AI. To help with this, below you will find information regarding four aspects of the reality of AI, including its (1) history, (2) progression, (3) differences between humans and AI, and (4) the limitations of current AI:
History:
Work and development began in the 1950s
The initial goal of AI was to duplicate or mimic human-level intelligence
Four approaches for project goals:
Laws of thought approach - thinking rationally
Rational agent approach - acting rationally
Cognitive modeling approach - thinking humanly
Turing test approach - acting humanly
Progression:
Initially, there was a lot of enthusiasm and success in AI. However, progress slowed due to a failure to deliver on promises. This failure led to a period of decreased funding and enthusiasm, also known as an AI winter.
However, over time AI is slowly coming out of an AI winter and entering an AI spring, with new advancements creating excitement once again.
Thus, even though AI has been around for a long time, the reality is that it is not advanced as we think because of failures and slow progress. That said, AI is less advanced than the shows/movies and media depict it.
Differences:
There are some key differences between humans and AI. Understanding these differences can help people better understand the reality of AI and how it works compared to humans.
One significant difference is AI cannot feel and think like humans, just like what Higgins, the concierge, says to Phil about Finley, the robot from the show Modern Family (watch the clip on the left)!
For more information on the differences, see the infographic on the left!
Limitations:
The reality also is that the current AI is not perfect. There are still limitations and challenges to overcome. For example, in education, there are technological design challenges, along with logistical, economic, and practical challenges. As you can imagine, it will take a lot of money to build AI itself and implement it in every curriculum. Thus, it will be a long time before we overcome these challenges, especially since the field is still transitioning out of the AI winter.
For more detailed information regarding the reality of AI's history, progress, differences, and limitations, please refer to the full paper below.
(4) No Fears/Positive Mindset & Why
With a better understanding of the reality of AI, we hope people understand why they should not fear AI. View the infographic on the top right for an overall recap of why people should not fear AI!
A philosopher in cognitive philosophy, Andy Clark, finds that the mind extends beyond the brain into the physical world through devices and complements the mind, known as The Extended Mind Theory. Thus, instead of fearing AI since there is nothing to fear, people should adopt a positive mindset about AI as a supplemental tool because much good can come from using AI. As discussed in the first section, there are many positive uses. With AI, there can be many possibilities and benefits to help firefighters, doctors, and especially children/students (view the clip on the bottom right)!
Technology and AI is a significant aspect of life now and will continue to be so as it advances. Thus, why not incorporate it into the educational curriculum to better help the current and future generations? With a positive mindset and cautious use, AI can do wonders for children's learning experiences and help them develop into competent individuals of the future.
For more detailed information regarding why people should not fear AI, why people should adopt a positive mindset, and what adopting a positive mindset means, please refer to the full paper below.
Why not to fear ai.pdfFinal Copy w_ website link.pdfFinal Capstone Paper
Here is the copy of our final capstone paper that you can read for more detailed information of the information discussed in the above sections!
About the Authors
Audrey Tran
Hi, my name is Audrey. I am a Pacific University Oregon senior majoring in psychology and minoring in communication sciences and disorders. My key takeaway from this project is how important it is to spread the truth and awareness about the positivity of technology and AI. It can positively affect our lives if we understand the truth about what it is and what it can do. With an understanding, we can adopt a positive mindset to use it as a tool and help our lives and the next generation. I love working and helping children reach their full potential. As the children of this day and age grow up with the technology itself, it is important they learn and use something that is an integral part of their lives. Thus, this project is important to me because it can help others learn about technology and AI while emphasizing how it can help children and their learning experiences.
Yanet Villa
Hello! I am currently a senior at Pacific University. I am majoring in psychology with a minor in communication sciences and disorders. After graduation I plan to take a gap year and gain more experience as well as traveling. Eventually I plan to continue my education and get my masters. I hope to work with kids and will take what I have learned thus far into my chosen field.