The Double-Edged Sword of AI Efficiency

Early in my career when we were rolling out one of the first iPad one-to-one programs in the country, people kept asking me, “How will you get students to use them?” While I bandied about terms like SAMR and 21st century skills, I knew that to get the students to use them effectively, I needed the teachers to believe they were useful.

While I believed in the SAMR model and TPACK, I knew that teachers didn’t really have time for all that edtech-mumbo-jumbo-theory-crafting stuff. The pioneers and trailblazers didn’t need convincing, but they represented about 10% of all teachers. It was the large majority of teachers that I needed to sell the idea that this tool would help them become better teachers while also helping their students learn better. That’s a major leap of faith for most professional adults, so instead of going straight to that, I sold them on the idea that it would help them solve small problems.

Tired of waiting at the copy machine for hours? Just send out a digital worksheet. Don’t want to spend all night grading a quiz? Just send out a Kahoot! and get some instant formative assessment data. You get the idea. If I could get them to use them, even in fairly rudimentary ways, I could at least start them on the path to high quality “tech enhanced” instruction.

The “AI will save you time” narrative

Now AI has entered the chat so to speak. It can help make a lesson plan for you, write your student’s IEP goals and even help you write an email to an angry parent. Much like those early years of integrating iPads, we are leading with the “it’ll make you more efficient” narrative. And while that is true, it’s also a double-edged sword.

If we only use AI (generative AI is primarily included in this discussion) for helps us make faster worksheets, are will it truly move the needle when it comes to learning? For the first time in my three decades of teaching, I finally am starting to believe that we can achieve true personalized learning. However, I’m afraid we are our own worst enemies when it comes to progressing towards this change.

Getting hooked on AI crack

Back when we were rolling out Google Apps for Education (GAFE as it was called back then), I remember struggling getting teachers and administrators to use the collaborative features of Docs and Sheets. They were still in the “send everything as an attachment” phase of collaborating. I needed to find something that would “hook” them into the Google system. For me, it was Google Forms. I could quickly make a form, gather feedback, make a quiz, etc. and it didn’t require some pro Survey Monkey account.

Once I got teachers hooked on Google Forms, I started to show them Docs, then Sheets, then Sites. They were in. Forms was my entry point and by showing them how it would save them time gathering data or quizzing their students, it solved a problem for them too.

Right now in the AI world, there is all sorts of “AI crack” (pardon the harsh metaphor) being handed out. I won’t mention the companies, but they lead with how much AI will save teachers time and how much it helps with efficiency. Looking at this through a broader lens, I realize we have to start somewhere when it comes to AI-enhanced learning. But my worry is, we’ll start here and stay here going forward — wasting a huge opportunity to truly re-imagine student learning.

Lead with creativity, not efficiency

In the workshops and keynotes I’ve done all over the country the past couple of years around AI, I always try to showcase examples of its creative use. Whether it be opening with an activity like KarAIoke or showcasing how a tool like NotebookLM can create visuals in different languages for ESL students, showcasing its creative outputs doesn’t dismiss the efficiency it provides. Rather, it highlights how efficiency is just the surface level of how it can be used.

The World Economic Forum creates its “Future of Jobs Report” every few years, and last year it listed AI as tops on the list (no surprise) of job skills future employers would want. However, it also listed “creative thinker” and “curiosity and lifelong learning” as skills on the rise as well. (see graphic below from WEF)

This tells me that while efficiency and technological skills are important, we should also be thinking about how to highlight the use of AI for creative endeavors and ways to foster curiosity. If you’ve used any type of generative AI tool in the past couple of years, you’ve probably used it to help you brainstorm ideas or to create some written content. Looking into trends of how AI is being utilized globally, that pretty well aligns with the data. (see Harvard Business Review’s report for more info or the graph below)

Using AI to solve problems (whether it be technical or personal) are still the top uses and creativity is actually on a slight decline the past two years. This is the danger that comes from leading with the approach that AI is a problem-solver, not a creativity amplifier.

Making AI a creativity amplifier

As schools establish guidelines and policies around AI, the focus up to date has been on preventive use and guardrails around its use. In many ways, this makes sense. We don’t want kids using it to cheat. We don’t want them to skip foundational learning skills by using AI as a shortcut. The use of AI in creative ways is an afterthought in these policies and procedures.

After schools have figured out what students can and can’t use, they then select an AI tool du jour for all staff and students to use. Again, I don’t have any issue with this tools per se, they are a means to end. What troubles me is what end? Do we limit the creative possibilities of generative AI use by limiting student use to these “productivity” generators? Are these limitations in turn also restricting the potential of our students as they head into the workforce?

Combating this thinking isn’t a Herculean task. Many of the AI tools that schools are purchasing have some creative elements to them. One that I’ve found is my gateway drug to creativity is Padlet. I like it because it’s free, doesn’t require a student log-in, and it’s AI image generator is easy to use. Have students create images of their favorite story book character trapped in an iconic movie or have them design what their ideal house would look like. These images can be a starting point to a larger story of fan fiction or uncovering the geometry behind the images that are created. (FYI – here’s a free 60-day trial if you want to try unlimited access) If you want to dig even deeper, check out this post with some other ideas meant to increase student creativity and critical thinking.

This cautionary tale is brought to you from years of experience and my own missteps with a previous generation of technological innovation. Schools and leaders should consider productivity and efficiency wins as the floor, not the ceiling. Overly restrictive CTOs need to make sure policies and guidelines don’t limit future creative use of AI tools in their schools, lest they risk limiting the potential of their students.

So the next time a teacher asks you why they should use AI, mention that “yes, it’ll save you some time, but…it also will expand the creative and critical thinking of your students.” Let’s not lose the opportunity this innovation possesses with our own short-sightedness. Go forth and be creative!

p.s. Yes, that’s supposed to be me in the header blog image. Life goals!

Carl Hooker is an international speaker and trainer. He works with schools and events across the country to thoughtfully integrate tools like AI into learning. His latest book Learning Evolution shares several examples, strategies and ideas like this one. If you are interested in booking Carl for your next event or professional development day, fill out this speaking form to get more information.