A Conversation Among Visionaries: Exploring the Possibilities for AI in Education and Beyond
Exploring the Future of AI and Learning
Join Tammy Berman, Ph.D., SVP of Design at Socratic Arts, as she engages with a panel of esteemed AI experts - all of whom studied under renowned symbolic AI pioneer, education revolutionary, and Socratic Arts' founder Roger Schank, Ph.D. - on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in learning and development.
This thought-provoking discussion delves into:
AI's Current Use in Learning: What's real vs hype?
Ethics & Responsibility: How can AI be used in our field, and how should it be used?
Vision for the Future: What's near-term vs. long-term?
Why You Should Listen:
Hear how AI experts view the current landscape, where AI innovation is headed, and how to integrate AI into impactful learning experiences.
Table of Contents:
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:51 Larry Bierenbaum's Journey with Roger Schank
02:17 Andy Fano's Experience and Insights
03:56 Alex Kass: From Ph.D. to Accenture
05:54 Chris Riesbeck: A Lifetime with Roger
07:19 AI in Learning and Development: Opportunities and Challenges
09:19 The Future of Learning Design with AI
19:29 Ethical Considerations and Responsible AI Use
30:05 AI's Impact on Learning Content and Scenarios
34:50 AI in Robotics and Real-World Applications
36:07 AI in Content Development and Training
37:56 Reliability and Performance of AI Technologies
39:07 Capabilities and Applications of LLMs
40:01 Classroom Experiences with AI
43:11 Storytelling and AI
55:57 Ethical Considerations and Trust in AI
01:06:01 Future Prospects and Practical Applications
01:09:30 Concluding Thoughts and Farewell
Featured Experts:
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Tammy Berman is a learning scientist who has specialized in learning needs analysis, learning-by-doing, and Story-Centered learning program design for nearly thirty years. She is the Senior Vice President of Design at Socratic Arts, where she oversees and leads projects related to performance improvement for corporations (including multiple Fortune 100 and top professional services firms), government, universities, and non-profit organizations. Tammy is a co-author of several articles and book chapters on the design of goal-based scenario learning environments. She holds a Ph.D. in the Learning Sciences from Northwestern University.
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Specialization: Applied AI and human-AI collaboration, conversational interfaces, intelligent information systems, automatic content generation, AI for journalism and media.
Larry Birnbaum is Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern University, with a research focus on developing new applied AI, NLP, and human-AI collaboration technologies, including conversational interfaces, intelligent information systems, and automatic content generation systems. Together with colleagues and students, Larry has published more than 160 papers on these topics, and holds 71 U.S. patents. Larry was also co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of Narrative Science, an AI start-up (acquired by Salesforce and its Tableau unit) that developed and marketed technology, originally invented at Northwestern, to automatically generate narratives from data. He was Chair of CS at Northwestern from 2014 to 2019. Larry got his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in CS at Yale, studying with Roger Schank. -
Specialization: Applied AI for business applications, combining emerging approaches with human capabilities and the practical realities of an industry to develop solutions.
Andy Fano is a Professor of Computer Science at Northwestern and holds a Courtesy appointment to the Kellogg School of Management. He is the Director of the Northwestern's MBAi program, an AI focused MBA program. Andy studied under Roger at Northwestern, then joined Accenture Labs where several former Schank students pursued applied research careers. Andy became global Managing Director for Artificial Intelligence research. In this capacity he led research teams exploring the business potential of AI on a variety of industry problems including conversational systems, supply chain security, promotion optimization, bias detection, regulatory compliance, and knowledge management among others. He also managed Accenture's academic partnerships, such as the MIT-Accenture alliance in Business Analytics. -
Specialization: AI, intelligent HCI, digital workforce, crowdsourcing, human-robot teaming, & the future of work.
Alex Kass is a Computer Scientist who studied AI under Roger at Yale, and worked with him at Northwestern, as Research Professor and Associate Director of ILS. Alex currently works in Accenture Labs in San Francisco, where he leads the R∧D group focused on human-centered computing and human-machine interaction. A key focus of his group-s current research is on enhancing the workforce experience, including enhancing training and performance support. -
Specialization: Agile software development, Computer Science and Learning Sciences, "Un-Grading" movement.
Chris Riesbeck an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Northwestern University, director of the CS Master's program, and co-director of the Center for Computer Science and Learning Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. His research has focused on natural language understanding, case-based reasoning, and tools for authoring learn by doing systems.
