July, well, May and June too, have been very trying months for me and my family. On May 18th, my beautiful mom passed away. She will be deeply missed. I’m very grateful to my wife Nova (& doggo Pippin) and sooooo much to all my siblings: my older sister Krista, younger sister Tess, and younger brother Joey, all of whom have helped our family through this time so very much. Family really is the most important thing in this life. I really feel for my Dad. My parents were married over 50 years and made such a wonderful home for my siblings and me. We’re all helping him through this time, as well as each other. Again, so very grateful to all! ❤️
Here’s me and my mom from WAY back when. She really was the rock of our family. She’ll be in my heart forever.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
So ya, back to this post. I really want to try to be consistent with my promise of sharing a few things I’ve found interesting each month. Given the business of summer and the fact that August will entail a lot of prep time for the upcoming Fall term, I’m combining these two months, even if just for my own mental capacity.
I did come across several interesting media items. However, two have really stood out. One–an article by my colleague, Dr. Alec Couros (Faculty of Education at the University of Regina), titled “Tips Up or Tips Down, Revisited,” and, two–a book by Cory Doctorow titled “The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence—Before It’s Too Late.”
Let’s start with Alec’s Substack post, Tips Up or Tips Down, Revisited. In his post, Alec shares a 2012 story where his five-year-old son asked if bananas grow with tips up or down. Instead of encouraging curiosity, Alec quickly looked up the answer on his phone. They soon confirmed bananas grow with tips up, but Alec later recognized he missed an opportunity to nurture his son’s curiosity, imagination, and reasoning.
His concern wasn’t about technology per se, but about what happens when answers come too quickly, before people have a chance to think deeply.
Alec thinks this issue is more critical now with the growth of generative AI. While search engines make users search through info and form their own conclusions, AI gives quick, polished answers and even proposes follow-up questions. Alec worries that this technology might do more than just answer questions; it could also hinder our ability to create our own questions and ideas. I share this concern.
Alec isn’t opposed to AI, and I share his view, even if I sometimes sound critical about it during conversations. We both use it regularly and recognize its value. However, Alec stresses the importance of sequence: people should think, wonder, and reason first before consulting AI. I just so happen to agree with this process/approach.
This article caught my attention because, in my professional experience, I see myself as a teacher. I agree with Alec’s view that educators should foster classroom spaces where students talk, reflect, and justify their ideas prior to using AI or digital tools. AI should serve as a thinking partner, not a substitute. However, I’m uncertain how educators will achieve this, given that our control over the learning environment has diminished—being limited by time and the accessibility and control of the technologies students use.
While teachers have traditionally fostered critical thinking by rewarding reasoning, encouraging students to deeply engage with ideas, teaching how to verify information, and demonstrating curiosity— you know, the approach in the pre-GenAI world relied on these methods. Now, I’m wondering how we can return to this foundational approach—although I do have some ideas, and perhaps innovative UI/UX designs and supporting technologies can make a difference… more on that later!
Suffice it to say, as I believe Alec alluded to, learning happens in the space between questions and answers, and that space is worth protecting. How we protect it…well, it’s something I want to delve more into over the next little bit.
I’ve chosen Cory’s book, “The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI,” as my next interesting media thingy.
In it, Cory explores how AI is changing our work and society, often in ways different from what many tech companies suggest. He introduces two concepts: a “centaur,” a person who leverages technology to enhance their abilities by merging human skills with tech support; and a “reverse centaur,” whose work is dictated by technology, often forcing them to work at unrealistic, draining speeds. Examples include delivery drivers monitored by algorithms, warehouse workers pushed to impossible targets, and programmers expected to do more than is feasible. I really love these metaphors.
Now, Cory isn’t against AI, despite what many critics believe. Like Alec (in the above post) and me, he sees AI tools as innovative and valuable when used responsibly. His primary concern isn’t the technology itself, but how it’s marketed and adopted. He mentions that AI has been hyped up, pushed by a tech industry eager to attract investors by claiming AI will revolutionize the world and generate substantial profits. Yet, many real-world AI implementations haven’t met these lofty expectations.
The book points out that AI is frequently seen as an unstoppable force of change, regardless of whether the stories are optimistic or alarming. Cory urges us to see beyond the hype, question who actually benefits from AI, and consider who might be paying the costs. In the end, he promotes the centaur metaphor–a future where AI aids people and enhances their lives, rather than overburdening workers or reducing human control over work.
Now, who can argue with this? In my opinion, this is a must-read (or must-listen – the audiobook is narrated by Cory himself!) for not only software engineers and computer scientists but for everyone!
-tMac
