Stephen Downes

Alex Usher makes two points, one of which is pretty good, and the second of which is a bombshell. The first is that AI proponents expect massive GDP growth without the need to people develop AI skills. It will just work. That seems a little unlikely on both counts. But still. The second point is "AI is wreaking havoc on many traditional forms of assessment." Moving back to traditional forms of assessment (blue books, oral assessments) simply won't scale. " I believe very firmly that AI is putting universities and colleges in something very close to mortal danger," he writes. Without reliable assessment, degrees aren't trusted. And if degrees aren't trusted, why would anyone continue to support the university system. "If we don't solve the assessment problem in a way that students and employers see as valid, then that's literally the whole ball game." Now I agree with this, but I don't think there's going to be a way out (the 'end-of-program' assessment Usher suggests is literally a non-starter). To survive, colleges and universities are going to have to change their value proposition.