The Internet is a formidable competitor to traditional school systems, which could collapse not only in emerging countries, which are at risk of being overwhelmed by population growth, but also in more advanced ones.
Amid growing uncertainty over global leadership among the superpowers, the power of Bigh Tech companies is set to grow, particularly in the delicate role of knowledge transmission.
The multimedia gratification and entertainment capacity offered by the Web can contribute to the discrediting of school systems, which adopt methods still largely based on standardized judgment, far from the personalization of educational pathways and as such unsuited to fully enhance the personal talents of students, but aimed rather, including through coercion and mnemonic study to achieve uncritical knowledge learning goals.
At the same time, Artificial Intelligence undermines the cultural authority of teachers by making available to students in any situation, time or place, informational and cognitive resources with which faculty can hardly compete.
The remoting of study and work is already a relevant phenomenon: in some countries, starting with the wealthiest families, they are beginning to reorganize education in the home environment, thanks to tutors and advanced technologies. Videos, games, virtual reality, avatars and conversational chatbots are able to attract and win students’ attention and reward them effectively. Global Market Insights predicts that digital teaching services will grow by 40 percent annually, from $315 million in 2021 to $1 trillion in 2028. In the United States, the homeschooling phenomenon already affects 3 percent of students, moreover, with often better results than in traditional schooling due to greater flexibility and interaction. Some experts have found that digital education allows 40% to 60% more information to be retained than traditional teaching, although hybrid online and in-presence forms prove to be the most effective. However, the issue is being debated, because with On-Line instruction, losses in IQ and attention span are also noted. This is particularly evident with the extensive use of video games and Social Media platforms.
With Artificial Intelligence, it foreshadows the possibility – in many ways disturbing – of solitary, personalized learning, which is moreover guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in relation to the freedom to choose the method of education (it must be said, however, that in several countries, including, for example, Germany and Spain, homeschooling is prohibited).
Surveillance, monitoring of students’ behaviors and outcomes outside of school, can also be accomplished through wearable and environmental devices and sensors, mostly operated by the usual large global technology companies.
Among the pessimistic scenarios, it is therefore even possible to think of a world with no more schools.
The psychological, social and cultural consequences that would be induced by such an arrangement appear alarming, Attali in this regard states, “…in this scenario, human beings will soon be only illiterates lost in an endless library.”
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