The Inevitable Blog

Before us lies the horizon of artificial intelligence. Supposedly we want AI because it is going to revolutionize our work and make the world seamless, integrated and progressive. We have heard that promise before, no? But are we creating a heaven on earth, or digging our own virtual graves?

I’m a learning futurist, but the future just became my enemy. My background is in learning and technology — always looking for a way to see possibilities, to leverage opportunities, and to see a roadmap into the future for learners.

H.G. Wells, the futurist and great thinker, once said: “The past is the beginning of the beginning, and all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn.” As you can see, Wells had a broad view of both the possible and the ever-more possible.

Steve Jobs was a friend of my late husband, David Karpoff. David was a tech nerd of the first variety—brilliant, quiet, and with the kind of mind that made you always wonder what he was thinking about and how far those thoughts were going to take him.

I was just at the grocery store, where I stood in line for over 20 minutes. No josh. Was it busy? Nope. Were there a lot of people in line? Not hardly. There was one person ahead of me, who was clearly very new at her job. Two people stood behind her—coaches, they were—staring at her like vultures and she was their last meal on earth.

If I wanted to start an argument about a really intractable subject, I might opt for the war between the sexes, or possibly the Middle East—but those pale in comparison to the scorching topic of testing. This is not a particularly fun topic to write about given the fact that it is one hellaciously contentious area in education and generates the biggest fights.

I know it might sound heretical, but I think LX design that seeks to influence learner behavior before understanding is … upside down.

History is always teaching us. Imagine the walk up to the solid imposing doors of the Catholic Church where Martin Luther brought his flimsy piece of paper that began the Reformation. And a hammer. And a nail.