Zero Trust Homework
Here’s an example of what homework might look like under this new paradigm. Imagine that a school acquires an AI software suite that students are expected to use for their answers about Hobbes or anything else; every answer that is generated is recorded so that teachers can instantly ascertain that students didn’t use a different system. Moreover, instead of futilely demanding that students write essays themselves, teachers insist on AI. Here’s the thing, though: the system will frequently give the wrong answers (and not just on accident — wrong answers will be often pushed out on purpose); the real skill in the homework assignment will be in verifying the answers the system churns out — learning how to be a verifier and an editor, instead of a regurgitator.
I am not sure I fully agree with Ben’s proposal here but, at the same time, I am having trouble coming up with any coherent solutions for homework / assessments that truly account for the AI we have today — let alone what we will have 10 years from now.
Ultimately, I am hopeful these advances in AI will push us to re-evaluate our current approach to education and lead us towards more meaningful, interdisciplinary, and practical approaches in the future.