Agency, AI and the Future of Learning

Human at the Helm

Meandering Jet Lag Thoughts on Our Digital Future
It struck me recently how much energy we're expending to announce our use of AI. In education especially, there's almost a performative quality to it: "This assignment was completed with assistance from ChatGPT," "I used Claude to help brainstorm this essay," and so on.

I find myself wondering: can you imagine a transparency statement announcing you used a calculator? Or Microsoft Word? Or spell-check? "This essay was typed rather than handwritten – please be aware." The irony isn't lost on many of us. We're in this peculiar transition period where everyone's trying to figure out what AI means for learning, creativity and academic integrity. The transparency feels necessary yet somehow amusing at the same time.

Tools of Thought: A Historical Perspective
Every technological transition brings its anxieties. When calculators became widespread, there were genuine concerns that students would never learn basic arithmetic. When word processors replaced typewriters, some worried about declining attention to spelling and grammar. The internet triggered fears about research skills and plagiarism.

Each time, education adjusted. We didn't abandon these tools; we incorporated them and redefined what skills mattered most. We stopped testing rote memorisation of multiplication tables and started emphasising problem-solving. We focused less on perfect spelling and more on clear communication and critical analysis.

Educational institutions will largely accept that fighting the tide of AI use is futile. The focus will shift towards practical strategies for integration, guidance and fostering responsible use, though pockets of resistance will undoubtedly remain.

Beyond Binary Thinking
The more I use AI and consider all the things I've written on this subject, the more I find myself going in circles. They often come at it from different angles. Sometimes I feel it's really important to talk about what AI isn't – the negatives, the bias, the limitations. Other times I think it's crucial to emphasise the positives, how powerful these tools can be when used thoughtfully.

But perhaps we don't need to choose sides. The reality is more nuanced than "AI good" or "AI bad." We can simultaneously:

• Recognise AI's genuine limitations and biases

• Appreciate its remarkable capabilities

• Be critical of how it's implemented and marketed

• Explore its creative possibilities

• Question the power structures behind it

• Use it to enhance our own thinking

I'm trying to show that you don't have to be on one side or the other; that you can carefully assess these tools and use them in valuable ways. Be aware of the issues and consider what you should do for the best.

It's Always Been About You
Everything always makes me come back to the same thing: it's all about you. It's all about the person using the tool. It's not about AI.

This insight feels profound in its simplicity. Technology, whether it's a pencil, a calculator or an AI language model, doesn't determine its own impact. We do. The calculator doesn't decide whether you'll develop mathematical thinking; your approach to using it does. The word processor doesn't determine whether you'll write thoughtfully; your engagement with the writing process does.

This is about how much of yourself you put into your work. The AI doesn't change that; it simply makes certain actions easier, just as copying and pasting from Wikipedia once made it easier to bypass effort. Ultimately, the person who stops learning – who in effect is cheating themselves – is the one who loses out.

Practising thoughtful use

If you can use these tools creatively and critically, read outputs closely and consider them, ensure it's your voice, ensure it's the thing you were really aiming for, or critically analyse the path the tool takes you down and see the value (or lack of value) in that, you are using AI wisely and well.

What does thoughtful AI use look like in practice? It might include:

• Using AI to explore ideas you might not have considered

• Critically evaluating AI-generated content rather than accepting it uncritically

• Refining and personalising AI outputs to match your voice and thinking

• Understanding when AI is helpful and when human thinking is better

• Being aware of AI's limitations and biases

• Taking responsibility for the final product, regardless of the tools used

The role of educator doesn't diminish in an AI world; it transforms and arguably becomes more vital. While AI can deliver content with impressive efficiency, it cannot witness growth, cannot truly care, and cannot guide with wisdom born of lived experience.

Moving Forward
I wish we could stop getting so concerned with the small things, because many of them really are small. The debates about whether to allow or ban AI, how to detect it and how to disclose its use may eventually seem quaint, much like debates about allowing calculators in maths exams.

We have to be the human in this, and we have to understand how we continue to be the human. This is the heart of the matter. AI tools don't threaten our humanity unless we surrender what makes us human: our critical thinking, our creativity, our ethical judgement, our wisdom gained through experience.

Our students navigate a landscape of fragmented attention, algorithmic feeds and information overload. They're immersed in TikTok explanations, YouTube tutorials, influencer opinions and social media debates, all delivered in ever-shortening bursts.
They don't need more content – they're drowning in it. What they desperately need is:

• Wisdom to contextualise knowledge

• Guidance in developing discernment

• Support in building their own intellectual frameworks

• Someone who sees them as individuals on unique learning journeys

Perhaps instead of asking, "Did you use AI for this?" we should be asking, "What did you learn from creating this?" "How did this process challenge you?" "What's your unique contribution here?" These questions centre the human learner rather than the tools they used.

The AI disclosure statements will likely fade away as AI becomes normalised, just as we don't announce our use of spell-check or search engines today. What will remain important is the quality of thinking, the depth of understanding and the authenticity of voice in the work we produce, regardless of the tools used to produce it.

In the end, the technology is just that – a tool. The brave path forward isn't creating more sophisticated assessment barriers; it's re-imagining education as a relationship rather than a transaction. It's remembering that behind every essay, project or creation is a human being developing their mind and voice. That's what deserves our attention.

A Breath Amidst the Whirlwind
It's probably too early for many of the things I often talk about, and I am most definitely impatient. I know everyone's at very different levels with all of this. I try my hardest to simplify it and to think about the easiest way through it as much as possible.

Whilst we have to remain mindful of issues and effects, I always worry that we blind ourselves with the technology in a kind of early moral panic, rather than reflecting on what's key in all of this: that we continue to have friction in our learning, find new ways to learn, find ways to connect, still care for one another and care for the people we're trying to help grow.

Maybe I'm just an idealist. Maybe thinking that focusing on the human is enough. But if we could just get over the hump of concern to what makes us special, that would be great.

It's so important to remember, as I often say in my talks about the future, that AI is moving incredibly quickly and changing so much. I witness people trying to get a handle on things, and all I can think is: something else will happen. Will you be able to get a handle on that?

Sometimes it's best to step back, take a deep breath, breathe out, and move forward acknowledging that you'll never keep on top of all of it.

Perhaps that's the most important lesson: learning to navigate a world where constant change is the only certainty, where our relationship with technology evolves faster than our policies and frameworks can adapt. In this context, the human qualities that have always been at the heart of education become not just valuable but essential: curiosity, adaptability, critical thinking and, above all, the capacity to care.

The technology will change. The tools will be replaced. But the human connection at the heart of learning – that's what endures. That's what matters. That's what's really key in all of this.