Technology Videos

HAI Seminar: Learning by Creating – A Human-Centered Vision for AI in Education

The seminar, led by Stanford assistant professor Hari Subbanam, presented a human‑centered vision for artificial intelligence in education, arguing that generative AI should be used to deepen learning rather than merely increase efficiency. Subbanam contrasted two historic paradigms: knowledge‑building, where learners create artifacts and co‑construct understanding, and knowledge‑passing, an efficiency‑driven model likened to factories. He warned that most current ed‑tech startups replicate the latter, automating quizzes, grading, and even homework submission, as exemplified by the “Einstein” AI that logs into Canvas and completes assignments. Drawing on a 1934 geography exercise by Lucy Sprague Mitchell, he illustrated how students can engage in authentic inquiry. He then introduced “Script & Shift,” a layered writing environment that provides metadata, content, and scratchpad layers, and integrates AI “friends” for tone, ideas, detail, and structure, enabling non‑linear drafting and targeted feedback. If adopted, such tools could preserve learner cognition, empower teachers as designers of learning experiences, and shift the ed‑tech market toward AI that scaffolds creation. This reorientation promises richer critical‑thinking skills and more meaningful student‑generated knowledge.