The achievement of the school system in many countries has been to make learning boring. I’m not saying that’s what they intended to do. But to take voracious learning machines, like kids, and make them hate learning?
The traditional school system, with its one-size-fits-all approach, has long struggled to keep students engaged, and quite often in the US left many students to fall behind in classes. The spark that could change the entire education system and bring students back to their potential, may be AI.
Dr. Matt Cummins, Head of Engineering and AI at Stemuli, an AI-powered video game that increases the quality and accessibility of education and workforce development, believes the modern education system has inadvertently made learning feel like a chore rather than an adventure.
19th-century system: "The achievement of the school system in many countries has been to make learning boring," Cummins says. "I’m not saying that’s what they intended to do. But to take voracious learning machines, like kids, and make them hate learning? It’s no wonder they’re often looking for shortcuts because it’s unclear what they’re being asked to do.”
Cummins, a distinguished technology leader and academic with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and organizational behavior, highlights the disconnect between modern students and the dominant outdated educational model, arguing that schools have not adapted to the advancements of the past century. "This 19th-century system doesn't even use the industrial advances of the last hundred years. So of course, we have to change," he asserts.
AI put to the test: Stemuli is among the companies leading the charge in transforming education through technology. Rather than offering a flat, two-dimensional learning experience, Cummins describes Stemuli's approach as a "choose your own adventure" model, where students explore immersive, 3D worlds and engage with characters that help them learn. "It's an adventure," he explains. "You're running around worlds, talking to characters, some of which might help you learn skills or factual points."
Instead of optimizing for average effects, we optimize pathways for everyone to explore.
Making AI useful in education: AI's role in education isn't limited to automating mundane tasks. Cummins emphasizes that Stemuli is focused on generating valuable educational content from various sources, including messy data. "We turn that into experiences that are actually educationally useful," he explains. The key is ensuring these experiences are accessible, even on lower-end hardware, a necessity for reaching underserved populations.
AI for everyone: Perhaps the most transformative aspect of AI in education, according to Cummins, is its ability to personalize learning. “Instead of optimizing for average effects, we can optimize pathways for everyone to explore,” he says. This shift moves away from the traditional model where curriculum changes are aimed at improving outcomes for the majority, to a more personalized approach where each student’s needs are addressed individually.
