Simulation and simulacra
On the plane back from the EduData Summit in San Francisco, I watched the entirety of Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal. The premise of the comedy reality tv show is that people can rehearse difficult situations, or trial major life experiences like having a child, by using actors and simulating every possible outcome. Participants can learn how to broach sensitive subjects, repeating the process until it’s perfect. Over time, the show spins further and further out of control, as Fielder becomes a participant and eventually, the only “actual” person within his simulation.
Real locations are faithfully recreated. Houses and taverns sit in warehouses miles away from where they actually exist, and with each rehearsal experience, a little more is added to make it as real as possible. It is, in many ways, also deceptions upon deceptions upon deceptions.
While it’s a comedy, what I found most engaging about the show was Fielder’s attempts towards the end of the series, repeating and rerepeating simulations. To better understand how people are engaging with the simulation, he recreates his day, but this time, acting as one of the participants so he can view himself through their eyes. The problem is, throughout the series, he isn’t able to understand or learn from the experience. He remains detached from the experience because there is always a barrier there. The edges of the new reality can always be seen.
My use of generative AI and ChatGPT so far has also been detached. I know it’s a tool, and I don’t feel any need to include courtesy when typing prompts in the same way I would if making a request for something. No pleasantries like please and thank you, and no consideration of how my tone might be interpreted for offence. I don’t have an emotional relationship with it. Simply, do this, this way, in this many words.
Within education, we often speak about the importance of connection between learner and educator. There is a certain, and assumed, benefit of human-to-human interactions. With many people seeing the potential of generative AI to act as a personal tutor, the QS Insights Magazine team wondered how effective it will be if learners can see those edges. Can students actually learn using this?
It may be a moot point. People have been using books to learn for centuries and there is very little personal connection with those. During EDS, I had the pleasure of hosting a fireside chat with Dr James Genone, Vice President of Academic Solutions and Innovation Minerva Project, on these deep philosophical questions. My question was whether, without intentionality by generative AI, would it impact learning outcomes, and also whether it mattered at all. His response is too long to replicate here, but it more or less boiled down to maybe. I encourage you to view that chat on-demand for the next month.
This is the spirit of this issue of QS Insights Magazine. Inside, you’ll find pieces reflecting on the future and realities of not only generative AI but other technological advances. Among them, of course, are the academic integrity and factual fidelity issues, but there are also some interesting financial implications the sector should be mindful of.
This edition is looking at the present and the future, and while we called it Education.ai, reading through and talking to contributors, another suitable title would be, “We’ve been here before”. Is generative AI the end of higher ed as we know it? Yes. But I hope you are as excited to see what comes next as I am.
Stay safe.
Cover design
"Hello World" by Anas Abdin
The artwork depicts a young kid's room during the late 80s. A retro setting with an old PC running DOS command line that somehow looks like ChatGPT. A pong game is playing on the TV but there's no human controlling it. The artwork is split in a glitch effect that separates reality from the cyber realm. Though it's raining outside, no human is present in the room. A parrot seems silent at first glance but it may be just repeating the command line.
About the artist
Anas Abdin is an NFT pixel artist and a data science specialist at Gulf University for Science & Technology. Anas is specialized in limited palettes and low resolution. His art is inspired by nature, life events and emotions. His pixel art work have been used in several projects including A-List celebrities from the music and film industry like Sean Astin and Mata. Anas Abdin's art has been exhibited in worldwide galleries in New York, Hong Kong, Denver, Paris and many cities around the world. His passion is 1/1 NFTs that inspire people and send a message through the animated pixels.
Anton John Crace
Anton is Editor and Program Designer at QS Quacquarelli Symonds. He was the former Asia Pacific editor of The PIE News and was recognised as the Universities Australia Higher Education Journalist of the Year in 2019 at the National Press Club of Australia.