Wisdom Factories: AI, Games, and the Education of a Modern Worker

AI will be the work experts, so humanity must supply wisdom. This requires upending a century of educational dogma.

AI (Artificial Intelligence), such as ChatGPT, is creating quite a stir. Educators are focused on student cheating or integrating AI into classrooms. Workers and business leadership worry about the future of work and whether they'll be a part of it. Human resources professionals aren't sure how to find or even measure the talents of AI-compatible professionals. Parents are concerned whether schools can change in time for their kids to benefit.

Wisdom Factories addresses each of these concerns but emphasizes changes to the educational model. AI creates a far more significant school reform imperative. Schools are not on the right track to prepare students for AI automation. Dr. Dasey reckons with an unavoidable conflict-schools currently spend most of their energy teaching students to do what AI does best. They teach expertise, and AI gobbles expertise. The solution for schools and work is to focus on wisdom skills like critical thinking, creativity, big-picture judgements, and relationships. These complement AI, not compete with it.

Unfortunately, schools are not making great progress against those learning goals. It's thwarted by very ethos and organization of expertise-dominated schooling. Learning wisdom can only be done well with a new educational model that's nearly upside down from the current one-a model that changes the curriculum, teaching, and even the structure of schooling. Experience, play, meta-knowledge, and multidisciplinary curricula are the new fundamentals. Games that challenge students with complex problems that have no single right answer are the base for accelerated wisdom skills.

In Wisdom Factories, readers will learn:

● Technical know-how isn't a panacea;

● Wisdom and games are inseparable companions;

● Toxic workplaces are associated with expertise, not wisdom;

● Experience deprivation is a major challenge for disadvantaged students;

● Managing AI teams should involve a form of therapy;

● The best way to hire workers is to have them play.

AI evolves very rapidly, but we humans don't. If we aren't wise, then AI will consume those roles too. Can we create Wisdom Factories before it's too late?

Wisdom Factories blends arguments from AI, neuroscience, psychology, business, and vanguard schooling models. Its arguments express relevant research in plain language with anecdotes from Dr. Dasey's varied career.