Education and University in the age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The article analyzes the problem of education development in the context of the formation of a society in which modern technologies, and in particular, artificial intelligence (AI) developments, play a key role. Since fast learning machines are being introduced into all spheres of life (production, services, entertainment) of society, and its development depends on the intensity of the introduction of AI technologies, virtual spaces are increasingly influencing the human life, everyday life and the labour market, the problem of the development of education, including university education, its purpose, tasks, content and nature is relevant. The point is that AI is actively involved in the learning process, and it is here that its use threatens to displace humans and interpersonal communication. Automation of assessment, generation of AI answers create a situation of a kind of iconic fetishism, and the educational process turns into a simulacrum. This prompts the search for new forms of human activity, which should be developed by the educational process aimed at stimulating thinking. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon the model of objective factual knowledge that can be automated and executed by machines. The development of AI will lead to the disappearance of linear thinking practices shaped by the culture of writing, cognitive functions will also be transformed, and humans will rapidly move beyond subject-centred vision. In the posthuman mindset, interaction with any non-human beings/entities creates prospects for new forms of human activity. In a world where there are more and more available resources, when each autonomous subject determines the trajectory of learning, the university as a centre of social development must be rethought. University education should be aimed at interpersonal communication, focusing on project-based activities, interpretive practices, problematisation, and creativity. The educational process should be shaped by a balance between AI technologies and the development of human intelligence, which increases the importance of interpersonal communication in the educational process.