I’ve been listening with interest for months as education experts have shared news about artificial intelligence. To borrow an overused cliché, AI is education’s newest shiny object. And it is already polarizing–with some people embracing AI and others avoiding it.

A few things are certain. AI technologies will continue to evolve. New AI applications will replace the ones that came before, and this will challenge traditional notions of teaching and learning. Platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, that can autonomously generate essays, research papers, and even creative narratives raise questions about the nature of intellectual property and academic integrity, prompting educators to reconsider their approach to assessing and validating student work in an era where AI blurs the boundaries of authorship.

Another certainty is that if we make AI a “thing” on its own, it will become “the” thing.  For educators, this can be problematic both because chasing the next new AI development is an exercise in futility and because it will divert us from the real work. 

Like calculators, 1:1 device initiatives, and other advances in education, AI is just a tool to augment learning–not more important than learning.  Just as a calculator complements mathematical understanding rather than supplants it, AI should be viewed as a catalyst for instructional design rather than an end in itself.

The choice is ours. We can focus on AI, or we can focus on instructional design that includes AI. Prioritizing instructional design that harnesses AI as a tool will ensure that the essence of learning remains at the forefront, with technology serving as an enabler rather than a distraction.