AI Vs Learning

AI Vs Learning

How AI is making relational learning more valuable than ever

I idolised my karate instructor…absolutely idolised him…he was like a real life Ryu. I went to classes three times a week, competed in tournaments, including one that was almost stopped because my mum (seeing me gasping for air after being side kicked in the stomach) ran onto the mats to stop the fight. Thankfully she was escorted back to the bleachers because I went on to win a 3rd place trophy for that one). I say this, not to boast of my meagre martial arts skills but to say that an excellent teacher is worth everything. I wanted to preface that as we reflect on how AI is dramatically changing the way we learn today and into the future. 

My 7 year old made an (and perhaps I’m biased here) outstanding drawing of a fish this weekend using the excellent Simply Draw - a guided learning app that takes young people (or anyone who wants to learn) through the stages of drawing, acting as a 1-2-1 tutor, it carefully takes the user through things like scale, shading and other finer details of drawing. This was like my daughter having an art tutor in our living room with us. For someone who can hardly draw stick objects, this was a welcome support. 

Today children can learn anything in a way that even 20 years ago was just not possible. Platforms such as Youtube have remarkably democratised the entry bar to learning. 

Trying (and I do mean trying) to learn guitar as a 10 year old, I would lumber my guitar over my shoulder, in the rain, every Thursday, to a 45 minute guitar lesson. The instructor, who had their own guitar, played a few chords and I desperately tried my best to keep up, copying their instructions, with no pause buttons or rewinds. I had no real choice of the instructor, the time of the lesson, or even what I was taught. Fast forward to today, now you can learn in your own time, at your own pace, at near zero cost, and you have literally billions of video tutorials at your fingertips, on any subject you want. 

Could the improving standards of young people in sports be in part due to the availability of online learning for young people? I remember my dream of being a professional footballer crumbling when I attended my first (and last) football camp during the summer holidays when I was 9 years old (for what good it did me). Today’s generation won’t understand that for many things, the only way you could learn something was if someone taught you in person. Young people are now able to learn drills, techniques, tips and tricks from qualified coaches and professionals on almost anything, all online. It was not long ago where this was only possible in person.

Online tools are transforming  the way we learn:

• Duolingo has made language learning accessible to millions of people in bite size, digestible lessons. 

• Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM), an AI powered research tool that can super-charge your research of new subjects and topics. You can upload your own sources or Notebook can search the web for new sources of information and summarise them immediately, creating them into audio overviews, slideshow presentations, mind-maps and more. For any student it’s a must use tool and it’s completely free.

• Chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, Meta AI, Anthropic’s Claude and/or xAI’s Grok are all making access to information easier than ever before.

But this access to learning brings about new challenges for young people. Approximately 13-19 million people are experiencing some form of digital poverty. Nearly 45% of families with children fail to meet the minimum digital living standard. The Good Things Foundation ran a study that found improving digital inclusion led to the following participant outcomes:

• 20% secured a job

• 52% felt less lonely

• 77% used online government services

• 83% felt more confident managing their health online

Then in a world where you can learn anything, I sympathise with young people who ask “with all this choice, where do I start?” It is easier now, more than ever, to be caught in a paradox of choice - a paralysis stemming from the sheer volume of options available to us. 

In a consumer society, it can feel like this point flies under the radar, but it is having a real impact on young people who are suffering from intense anxiety, decision paralysis and chronic regret at historic rates. It highlights the need for clear, guided pathways, for thoughtful curation, and for real, human mentors who can help navigate the noise and to focus on what truly matters. 

Which brings us back to my first point, whilst AI provides incredible learning potential, it is not to say there is no space for in-person learning. If anything, AI puts a premium on the value of in person classes, training and education. In a world where we can learn whenever and wherever we want, we can’t forget about the value of relational learning. A good teacher, coach or mentor can inspire in a way AI can not, a good coach will pick up on areas for development that an AI will not. When you feel like giving up, an inspiring karate instructor will tell you to keep going.