Matt Miller makes many provocative statements in his latest book AI For Educators. One of the first comes from Dr. Kai-Fu Lee who claims that “We {societies} overestimate what technologies can do in five years. We underestimate what they will be able to do in twenty years” (Miller, 2023, p. 7). This made me want to go back and judge every major innovation in the last century.

Later in the book, Miller offers another juicy quote that resonated with me. Sherry Turkle states “We expect more from technology and less from each other” (p. 111). Wow! What a truism. As a classroom teacher, I constantly see students who would rather spend time on their phones instead of interacting with each other. My job is to create activities that require them to interact and engage in tasks that make them read, speak, listen, and write about what they’ve learned. My AP Research students are seniors in high school and their single worst habit is their inability to pick up the phone, call someone, and ask for help. I wonder how AI can facilitate this, or will AI make social isolation worse before it gets better?

Interestingly, the College Board and the International Baccalaureate programs have very different views of on using AI in education. This makes me wonder who will change their views first? How will these programs look in 10 years?

Overall, your reaction to this book will depend on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. If you believe AI will inspire students to be more creative and advanced with their critical thinking, you are going to dive in, explore, and share the responsible use of AI with your students. If you think the glass is half empty, you are going to try to police AI, shield your students from it, and run away from it. You will probably become more and more disillusioned with education and maybe even wind up leaving the field.

Miller acknowledges AI has biases built in (p. 18). Educators are going to need to be hyper-aware of these flaws and specifically plan lessons that address diversity, inclusion and equity, not to mention SEL concerns. If you are looking for a starting place to learn about the implications of using AI in education, this is an excellent one. If you want to learn more before purchasing the book, view this YouTube discussion Miller hosted.