Waldorf Education in the Age of AI
How would you design an education system that helps students flourish in the face of changes to the nature of work brought on by artificial intelligence? The rise of ChatGPT and other AI large-language models have brought this question to the forefront of parents and educators' minds. Waldorf education is uniquely focused on developing children’s creativity, cultural competency, imagination and original thinking. We believe that teaching students to be able to articulate their own diverse viewpoints, as well as their understanding of the material, sets our students up for future success. In a future where AI-generated content relies on recombining existing work, our graduates' abilities to think critically, divergently, and creatively will serve them well.
"In University of Pennsylvania professor Ethan Mollick's article, "AI is not good software, but it is pretty good people," we are urged to rethink our response to AI, to see it less as a rigid software and more as a dynamic, human-like entity capable of complex, creative tasks.
This perspective shift is crucial as humanity moves into a future where AI not only serves us, but collaborates with us, reshaping our understanding of both technology and humanity.
My choice to send my children to a Waldorf school stems from a deep understanding of the trajectory of technology. I witness firsthand the leaps in AI capabilities. Yet, I hold that nurturing relationships, fostering collaboration, and inspiring others remain quintessentially human roles, incapable of being replicated by AI. Waldorf education prioritizes these values, aiming to cultivate individuals who will not only excel in utilizing AI resources but retain the essential human skills of empathy and collaboration."
—Bill Moore, Synthetic Media and Emergent Technology Creator; Waldorf School of Pittsburgh Parent
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