GAI: Software Redefined
Whether my aging brain is playing tricks on me or my memory is fading, I am pretty sure that the idea of software and hardware production has always (or, at least, usually) followed certain pathways involving scheduled releases, pre-release previews about what to expect from a new version, announcements, audience teasers. Surely, we haven’t already forgotten the Messiah-like performances from Steve Jobs before Apple ‘changed the world’….again. Yet, somehow, the development of Generative AI does not play by the same rules. This era seems to be completely redefining what we have become used to in terms of software development and marketing.
Let’s first of all consider the speed of development and the release of new or extra features. It would have been plausible to imagine that things may slow down or even stop for a while in this regard, but try spending a week or two out of the loop and it’s a case of ‘blink and you will miss it’. I could be talking about the week where Custom GPTs appear, the week where creating PowerPoint is suddenly a feature within ChatGPT, where motion brush in Runway steals the limelight, where Claude becomes available across the world not just USA and Europe, the appearance of Adobe Firefly, etc, etc. And let’s not forget that many of these happen in the same week!
Of course, I understand that there is something of a race to be the best in the various guises of Generative AI. It is hot competition between the biggest players such as Microsoft v Google as well trying to get a hold of the young upstarts such as OpenAI. This race fuels the unprecedented speed with which new features appear and it could be argued that it limits the time for traditional marketing strategies. Yet, it is more than that. It has almost become expected that there may be a new feature, a new addition, a difference, each time you access a tool.
Thus, could it be the case that this is in fact a marketing ploy in itself? Deciding that new features will not be hyped, pre-released, advertised or flaunted as a competitive edge: Does this create an air of mystery, a FOMO-like desire to log on or to read/discuss/post online about these tools? I wonder. I also wonder how much this creates a tribe of those users who are actively involved. And, does that then mean we should recognise that ‘the rest’, those who are struggling to adapt to this technology/to feel they can gain a foothold in using these tools in their vocation with a a degree of confidence, are struggling as a result of not being part of the tribe? I think it is a fair argument.
Hence, when I look at Generative AI in education and see the way:
Teachers seem to be struggling to varying degrees in integrating these tools in their teaching practice
Schools do not seem to be clear on how they position themselves in respect of use of GAI by teachers or students
Students, for the most part, are creating black market pockets of use of GAI tools in ways they see fit
I think it maybe time to recognise that the old ways of marketing, of development and in some ways, use, of software is very different for Generative AI. This suggests the need to rethink professional learning, training and deployment for GAI. Of course professional learning needs to have foundational elements. Providing a basic understanding of how AI works, bias, ethics and the like, are not really effected by rapid development. Beyond that, though, there are issues with frequency of training, such as how to disseminate information on the latest features and show how to get the best out of them. There is the matter of how usable features appear on different tools. Is it feasible to expect the majority of teachers and students to move from Bard, to CoPilot, to ChatGPT seamlessly? I am not sure most educators are ready for that and to look at what this means from a system perspective……….
Given all this, the era of Generative AI, brings a variety of challenges for education that are only just beginning to emerge. Disruption on the surface, in such areas as assessment, in ethical use or in access, are much more easier to address than what I am describing here. Years of experience in trying to integrate technology in education tells me that. I urge all education institutions to think through these factors and make strong decisions but be ready to flex. If knowledge is power then I am providing just that. To my mind, it is better to have that and face the issues head-on. This technology is not going away and neither, it would seem, is the way it is being developed and marketed.
