The novelty and unfamiliarity of new technologies do not stop companies from using them. Already, 37 percent of businesses use artificial intelligence (AI), and the number is sure to grow in the coming years. One could argue teaching these skills to students would help prepare them for the future job market. After all, creating, managing and fixing these technologies will be a large part of the job sector in the next decade.
However, that is not why educators should introduce machine learning to students. To push technological progress forward, the tech industry needs young engineers and leaders who see computers and tech as a way to enhance creativity and decision-making. Computers are not just tools. They are collaborative partners, aiding human ingenuity and progress. Teaching AI, machine learning and deep learning in the classroom would establish this link between people and technology for high school students. By introducing adaptive software, which evolves with students’ knowledge, individuals will establish a more human connection with technology. The meta-skill of collaborating with computers and learning with machines – and not about machines – will alter the timeline of technological progress.
Coding and programming classes help students understand technology at a young age. Coding teaches children to experiment, devise multiple solutions to problems and think differently than in the classroom. But machine learning and deep learning bridge the tool and the mind. AI’s nature of adjusting to one’s instructions and data sets allows students to start with the basics but rapidly advance. As students learn the ins and outs of working with technology, the power of their creations increases dramatically. This rapid feedback loop and dual evolution of the student’s knowledge and the program’s abilities establish a deeper connection between the two intelligences. Furthermore, the adaptability of AI reflects human-like characteristics, continuing to humanize numbers and code. The closer the coder understands the machine, the more often they are confronted with the boundary between computers and humans. One discovers that the computer is not only a command-executing machine in need of domestication. It has the power to learn, adapt and evolve, much like individuals. Judith Shulevitz, a journalist for The Atlantic, claims people are already creating relationships with digital assistants, like Siri and Alexa. With robots and AI permeating the home, the era of human-machine coexistence is closer than we realize. Lastly, the serendipitous interplay between technology and the coder gives rise to novel outcomes. Research in AI and deep learning show there are parts of this technical process that experts do not understand yet. Introducing the mysteriousness and creativity of computers to students would strengthen their desire to deconstruct and understand AI. Thus, teaching AI would help students achieve more than new technology skills. By advancing students’ abilities, establishing a more human-like connection with technology, and invoking the imagination of students, deep learning and AI classes in high school would change the trajectory of technological progress.