AI Education Must Cultivate Conscious Individuals

We have entered the digital intelligence era! In this era, artificial intelligence technology profoundly changes production, life, and learning methods, subtly altering our social relationships. Correctly understanding and mastering AI technology has become an important prerequisite for “digital survival” and is also the mission of AI education in this age.

AI education in basic education is primarily a general education, aimed at all students across all educational stages. The fundamental task of education is to cultivate virtue and character. As a form of general education, AI education should focus more on the theme of “digital survival” in this era, fostering individuals with self-awareness. With AI technology deeply permeating all aspects of human society, people are becoming increasingly dependent on it. However, there is a risk that human subjectivity may be reshaped by machines, leading to a concerning erosion of human agency. Self-awareness aims to awaken human subjectivity, affirm human value, and reinforce human status, thereby correctly managing the human-machine relationship.

Self-awareness is the consciousness of one’s subjectivity, starting with the awakening of self-awareness, followed by the affirmation and defense of one’s value. It manifests mainly in two aspects: proactivity and agency. Proactivity confirms the role and position of humans in human-machine interactions, requiring humans to always play an active role while AI remains in a supportive position. Upholding human proactivity in these interactions defends human subjectivity. Agency refers to the need to unleash human creativity. Currently, AI’s advantages mainly lie in processing information, while human advantages are rooted in creativity. This is the basis for human-machine collaboration. Therefore, the relationship between humans and machines is one of collaboration rather than replacement.

Cultivating conscious individuals requires educational changes—shifting educational concepts, effectively implementing core competencies, and developing individuals suited for “digital survival.” To achieve this goal, specific teaching practices should particularly strengthen the following three areas:

1. Strengthen Authentic Learning: Authentic learning refers to learning in real contexts. While AI and other technological means can create idealized or even perfect learning environments, authenticity is more important than perfection in the digital age. Education has the responsibility to help students recognize a real, albeit imperfect, world rather than pushing them toward a perfect but unreal virtual world. Only in the real world can individuals find their positioning and direction. In educational settings, awakening the true self can only occur through embodied participation in authentic contexts. Authentic learning also entails emotional and personal interaction and influence. Only through genuine interaction can emotionally rich and well-rounded individuals be cultivated, enabling them to face the challenges of the digital intelligence era. Strengthening authentic learning is a value orientation for cultivating conscious individuals.

2. Strengthen Principle-Based Teaching: The powerful functions of AI can lead to dependency. To correctly manage the human-machine relationship, it is essential to demystify AI. Principle-based teaching allows students to understand both the mechanisms and the underlying reasons, leading to a deeper comprehension of AI’s essence and achieving the goal of demystification. Furthermore, understanding the principles of AI technology is also a process of understanding humanity itself, as AI essentially simulates human intelligence. In a sense, understanding AI is akin to understanding ourselves. Enhancing principle-based teaching in AI is an intrinsic requirement for cultivating conscious individuals.

3. Strengthen Innovation in Teaching Methods: In the last century, faced with educational challenges in a digital environment, American computer scientist Nicholas Negroponte noted, “There may not be as many students with learning disabilities as we imagine, but there are certainly far more barriers in the learning environment than we think.” AI involves interdisciplinary integration and is a product of human imagination and creativity. Teaching in traditional ways is akin to training drivers for high-speed trains using methods for horse-drawn carriages. This necessitates breaking from tradition and actively exploring teaching methods suitable for the discipline, such as interdisciplinary thematic teaching and group cooperative learning. Strengthening innovation in teaching methods is a fundamental guarantee for effectively cultivating conscious individuals.

Education is a forward-looking endeavor. In the face of future uncertainties, we must focus on humanity itself and cultivate conscious individuals to effectively tackle the challenges posed by digital survival.