The Price of Frictionless Learning

Preserving the Human Experience in the Future of Higher Education

The introduction of Anthropic's "use computer" capability marks another distinct moment in generative AI development. This technology extends far beyond generating text, images, video, and audio - it can now perform complex computer operations autonomously. From opening browser windows and filling out forms to planning elaborate vacation itineraries and managing personal finances, generative AI has gained the ability to navigate digital interfaces with unprecedented sophistication.

The implications are staggering.

Consider having a personal assistant that continuously scouts for the best insurance rates, monitors electricity prices, and tracks product prices across multiple platforms, waiting for the optimal moment to make a purchase. In academic settings, this technology offers valuable support for students with disabilities - though it also opens doors for potential misuse, such as simulating engagement in learning management systems or applying for every possible matching funding or scholarship opportunity.

The broader economic implications of this technology - particularly its impact on our already overheated global economy and throwaway culture - are probably too profound to fully grasp. So we won’t right now.

Rather, our focus here is the transformative effect on education.

The Hidden Value of Educational Friction

We frequently hear claims about AI's potential to accelerate learning and disrupt education. While there's truth in this, we must approach such assertions with careful consideration. Learning isn't a linear process that can simply be accelerated through technology, and by eliminating educational friction, we risk diminishing the very essence of learning itself.

As higher ed institutions grapple with generative AI and how to revamp their programs accordingly, they must prioritize the learning process over mere outcomes. Generative AI isn't just another tool that creates challenges for educators; it represents a fundamental shift in how humans interact with the world. Like all transformative technologies before it, generative AI is reshaping our evolution and self-understanding, as humans.

Consider the traditional core activity of researching and finding appropriate sources as part of a program. This process, and this skill, hasn't merely been about finding information; it's been about developing professional judgment through the methodical process of searching, evaluating, and prioritising sources. The development of critical thinking occurs through this process, not as a result of finding the ‘right’ answers.

Now that generative AI can handle these processes by conducting searches and categorizing sources autonomously, we gain efficiency, but we risk losing something more delicate and precious. In an educational landscape already obsessed with "faster and shorter" programs, the temptation to skip these seemingly tedious steps in education may be strong. However, this approach is dangerously shortsighted. Eliminating foundational processes is akin to removing athletic training and focusing solely on game day, or skipping musical rehearsals and jumping straight to the performance.

The Challenge of Balance

As generative AI masters the navigation of digital interfaces and complex tasks, we're not just streamlining processes - we're potentially eliminating the very experiences that allow students to develop their understanding and competencies. This raises a crucial question: How can students develop professional judgment when the underlying processes become automated?

This question should be central to the evolution of higher education. While many higher ed institutions are already trying to work out generative AI's role in future education, we need more focused reflections on which processes are essential to preserve and which can be safely automated.

As higher education institutions redefine their purpose, they should question their traditional role as mere providers of information and technical skills; elements increasingly subject to automation. Instead, they should position themselves as facilitators of deeper learning, emphasizing philosophical inquiry and ethical reflection.

While this might sound hopelessly old-fashioned, it speaks to a fundamental truth: the need to rediscover the importance of holistic education in our digital age. Yes, generative AI can handle some of the technical aspects of learning, but our priority and hope for the future should be to develop critical, empathetic, and democratically engaged citizens.

The Path Forward

Tomorrow's higher education must strike a delicate balance between technological efficiency and human development, between automation and reflection, between speed and depth. The challenge isn't choosing between technology and tradition but identifying and protecting the spaces where human judgment flourishes and has still greater potential.

If we eliminate the challenging, oftentimes frustrating processes of learning, we almost certainly lose the opportunity to develop further those aspects, or competencies, that characterize human intelligence. Technology's greatest contribution to education right now isn't its efficiency, but rather the opportunity it provides to reassess what truly matters in learning and education.

After all, this is about humans and education much more than it is about technology. The future of education depends not on how quickly we can process information, but on how well we can advance the development of wisdom, human judgment, and understanding in an increasingly automated world.