Presentations

The challenges of introducing AI into higher education and the contours of the society of the future

Farkova N.A.

Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The introduction of artificial intelligence in universities is not only a technological challenge, but also a social experiment that forms a new reality of education and society. This problem is becoming particularly relevant in the context of the technology race and increasing geopolitical competition, where education is becoming a strategic resource.

Already today, we can observe how uneven access to technology and infrastructure between universities and regions increases social stratification. When teachers are replaced with AI tools, there is a risk of losing interpersonal interaction, mentoring, and socialization in general. For the effective use of AI in higher education, there is an acute shortage of teaching staff capable of synergy with AI, and not just its technical use.

Passive consumption of information gradually suppresses students' ability for independent critical analysis and creativity. There is a kind of technological dependence, when students risk losing the ability to think deeply without turning to external digital sources. At the same time, trust in technology cannot be unconditional, especially given the risks of algorithmic bias, the tendency of AI to generate false information, as well as cases of personal data leaks in educational environments.

In the near future, society may be divided into those who manage AI, who use it effectively, and who are excluded from the new educational and, as a result, professional reality. A literate person can be considered a person who, in addition to reading and writing, is able to critically evaluate information, knows the rules for using digital technologies, and understands the principles of algorithms. The education process will become continuous, which will lead to the transformation of universities into training centers, where a diploma is not the ultimate goal, but a stage in the process of constant updating of competencies.

A separate problem relates to the ethical and legal sphere. Questions about what data to use, what goals to put into algorithms, and who is responsible for AI decisions will move from a highly professional to a socio-political plane.

At the current stage of the transition to a digital society, it is necessary to invest not only in technology, but also in the teaching elite, capable of working effectively using the capabilities of AI. To develop a legal and ethical framework for digital pedagogy. Thus, the challenge is not to introduce or not to introduce AI, but how to make it a tool for democratizing rather than stratifying education, and how to preserve the human dimension in digital pedagogy.

• abstract in Russian (PDF)