Learning is complex, messy, emotional: AI can’t replicate that

ChatGPT and other AI tools may seem irresistible. But educators should beware, as they could end up trading away the thing that gives them value — the rich experience of slow learning

In ‘The Matrix’ (1999), one of the characters ‘learns’ to fly a helicopter instantaneously. Using AI may be superficially attractive but it can come at the cost of ‘long learning’. Picture: Warner Bros

The is a scene in The Matrix where Trinity and Neo are running from ‘the Agents’, and find themselves on the roof of a skyscraper with a helicopter as a potential escape. “Can you fly that thing?” asks Neo. “Not yet”, says Trinity, ringing her operator to get helicopter instructions uploaded into her brain. Her eyes flicker and within seconds she turns to Neo, saying: “Let’s go!”

In the world of the Matrix the gap between “not yet” and “let’s go”, between ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I know’, has almost disappeared.