In this episode, hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn dive into the pressing question: How will AI reshape higher education? With AI bringing both ethical and practical challenges to the forefront, they seek insights from Cal Newport, bestselling author and computer science professor at Georgetown University.
Newport, a member of Georgetown’s university-wide task force on AI’s pedagogical impact, highlights survey data showing that 82 percent of students have used AI. However, he notes that this figure doesn’t fully capture the number of students who regularly rely on AI, particularly for assignments. The discussion also delves into how AI affects various subjects differently, posing greater risks to students’ writing skills than to coding.
“I think we have some historical cases here that are relevant,” said Newport. “I think that by far the biggest comparable disruption, really was the internet, plus, like, a usable way of accessing the internet, basically Google. We have just through familiarity, memory holed a little bit how disruptive that was.”