This Time *Is* Different: The Challenges -- Old and New -- of AI in Education

The world's best artificial intelligence systems already exceed us in some ways, and seem poised to surpass us cognitively in every way. Some argue that we are entering a singularity -- a moment when old rules are obsolete; and new ones, impossible to predict. Given that, is there anything at all we can glean about the future of AI and learning? In this talk, Dr. Toyama will present a few things we know as a basis for conjecture and make some guesses based on three decades of work in technical AI, societal impacts of digital technology, and faculty governance at a large public university wrestling with this polarizing technology.

About the Speaker: Kentaro Toyama is W. K. Kellogg Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information, where he researches digital technology's impact on society, especially on its marginalized communities. Previously, Kentaro taught at Ashesi University in Ghana and co-founded Microsoft Research India, where he did research on the applications of digital technology to education and international socio-economic development. He is a fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT; author of Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology; and UM Faculty Senate Chair for AY 2026-27.

All are welcome! Registration is encouraged but not required: https://myumi.ch/e7EZ3

This event is presented by the GenAI & Human Learning Working Group at the Eileen Lappin Weiser Center for the Learning Sciences.