In the next instalment of our Pearson author insights series on the impacts of AI, business and information technology author Mary Anne Poatsy shares her thoughts.
As we navigate the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its integration into our work and life, we’re seeking insights from the experts. In our blog series, “Navigating the Future: Author Insights on AI in the Workforce, Society, and Education” Pearson’s authors share their thoughts on the impacts of AI on their fields of study, society, education, and the workforce more broadly.
Over to Mary Anne Poatsy, co-author of Better Business and Technology in Action:
1. What is a key impact of AI in your field today? How do you see this affecting society more broadly?
The key impact of AI in society and in business will be how it enhances efficiency and automation, and how it streamlines processes and repetitive tasks. It’s another tool we’re going to have to get used to using and the benefits will be far reaching. It can help us analyze huge amounts of data and should enhance customer experiences through chatbots and virtual assistants.
On the other hand, there is a fear of job disruption with AI displacing roles. Where technology has replaced roles in the past, it’s also created new jobs. Generative AI (Gen AI) holds great promise as a creator of content like images, videos, music, speech, text, software, code, and product designs, but we will still need human validation to check for accuracy and bias. I think it will become a common tool to generate content as a starting point, or to summarize data, but implementing it responsibly will be key.
2. How are you educating students on these impacts? What are the concepts or skills you’re focusing on in your teaching to bring AI’s impact to life in context?
The courses I teach are not hugely impacted by Gen AI, but I have had conversations with my students about how they are using AI technology in other courses and in their lives.
Students shouldn’t be spending endless hours writing content. Now, that’s the job of AI. Their hours would instead be spent in reviewing, refining, evaluating, and maybe augmenting the content to get the results that they want. And those are skills we haven’t been very good at preparing our students for.
Our job as educators is to introduce students to the appropriate use of Gen AI and how to write good prompts. How do you get good information out of Gen AI? You ask it good questions! And then, most importantly, we need to make sure our students engage their critical thinking skills by being able to review the results of whatever Gen AI produces, and to think critically about whether it’s right and appropriate and not biased. So, I’m excited to have this shift in education.
3. As business and economics students graduate and enter the workforce, what are the three most important things they should take away from the rapid evolution of AI?
Students should understand that AI is dynamic. Because it’s evolving quickly, they need to be flexible and prepared to adapt to changing job roles and industry demands. They should cultivate a mindset of continuous learning to stay updated on AI trends. And then there are the ethical implications of AI to be aware of; the biases and privacy concerns. Lastly, graduates need to understand that AI will augment human capabilities, not replace them. Honing their business acumen and critical thinking skills to evaluate AI outputs is key.
4. How is AI technology changing how students engage in learning? What changes have you already observed in your students?
To be used effectively in the classroom, instructors may need to shift assignments and assessments that focus more on the things AI and Generative AI cannot do and less on the things these tools can do. Unfortunately, right now, until that shift is made, some students are using these tools to ‘beat the system’ – turning in assignments that were produced exclusively by AI or Gen AI. Instructors need to be aware of this and talk with students about the pros and cons of using these tools in that way.
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About the author:
Mary Anne Poatsy is the author of collegiate textbooks and supplements in Business and Information Technology, including Better Business and Technology in Action. Poatsy has over 25 years of teaching and corporate training experience in Business and Information Technology. She is currently a Senior Adjunct Instructor at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania.