AI May Be Smart, But It Can’t Teach Us How to Be Human
AI and humanity in education is raising urgent questions about the true purpose of school, says Dr. Dustin Hornbeck.
Students Are Tuning Out — And AI Isn’t the Solution
A Brookings report says only 1 in 3 students are engaged in school. That reflects what many teachers see daily: disengaged learners and teachers stuck in crisis mode.
AI can deliver custom lessons, ace tests, and even write convincing essays — as Hornbeck discovered when ChatGPT scored 100% on his final exam. But is faster learning the goal? Or are we missing the point?
Teachers Are Struggling to Stay Ahead of AI
Teachers across the country are trying to design assignments that AI can’t do. These aren’t multiple-choice tests — they’re book reviews, policy critiques, and argument-driven essays. Still, AI mimics human thinking just well enough to pass.
Many professors are returning to handwritten exams, not because they’re better, but because they’re harder to automate.
Schools Should Teach Democracy, Not Just Job Skills
Hornbeck warns against turning education into a tech-driven job training pipeline. Instead, he returns to the wisdom of John Dewey, who believed school should teach kids how to live in a democracy — to think, collaborate, disagree, and create.
In Dewey’s model:
- Teachers are guides, not content delivery systems.
- Learning is about meaning, not memorization.
- School mirrors real life — with room for failure and growth.
AI Cannot Take the Place of What Makes Education Important
AI can indeed teach efficiency. But what about empathy, teamwork, conflict, curiosity, and purpose? That is what Hornbeck refers to as the “messy, human work” that is impossible for machines to do.
We must not allow AI to dictate the parameters of teaching and learning in order to preserve that. Making sure that kids continue to learn how to be human together is the true problem, not outsmarting AI.
Source: USA Today
