AI in Early Learning and How it Affects Higher Education and Workplace Learning

Last year at The Learning Ideas Conference, attendees raised a number of questions concerning how the emerging AI tools and practices might affect young children. Which aspects of AI are appropriate for early learning? Are there concerns about what behaviors might manifest later in life as a result of AI? These are just some of the questions heard in Q&A sessions following presentations centered on AI in learning. Noteworthy is that there was no one present with the expertise in early learning to respond. The purpose here is to answer such questions as we fill in the gap between early learning and adult learning—and performance—as related to applications of AI. The inquiry has two parts: (1) Survey of studies and interviews with experts on applications and trajectory of AI in early learning and subsequent phases; and (2) Findings on how AI in early learning affect subsequent education, through workplace learning. Specifically, what changes might we expect in academic curricula and delivery methods, and in workplace learning lifecycles? Which learning and performance methods are best suited to accommodate how AI so rapidly shifts perspectives? How do we map performance-centeredness of early learning environments with workplace performance when AI continues to challenge and disrupt conventional models and thinking? These and other questions are addressed via studies, interviews, observations, and of course, informed speculation.