AI Supercharging Learning in the Flow of Work at the ASU+GSV Summit

We are excited to participate in-person in the major global edtech ASU+GSV Summit as the gathering is focused on workforce skills and innovations in digital learning. One theme of interest that seems to be getting a fair share of airtime at the summit is supercharging educators, learners, and workflow with AI. We counted 6 sessions in total on these topics at this year’s ASU+GSV Summit—so here’s a preview of upcoming conversations as well as our take on the future of AI-powered workflows.  

In the showcase of tools for educators and for learners, the focus is on how AI can enhance the learning experience to improve educators’ productivity. Companies like QuillBot, Photomath, Inc., Questt.com, and Geniebook are advocating for precise learning pathways, just-in-time help, and personalized educational experiences. Companies like AllHere, TeachFX, Kyron Learning, and DigestAI  are harnessing the power of AI to deliver scalable, personalized learning experiences while freeing up teachers' time. These AI solutions are designed with the student in the loop to enhance, rather than replace, actual learning. 

Speaking of tools, our own team has been utilizing generative AI tools since early 2022 in various areas of our work. Our lead designer Bela has written about DALLE here and we have been following the work of learning experience designers exploring GPT-4 for curriculum design. As in many of the conversions about AI tools, the keyword is “enhance” rather than “replace”. 

In another set of AI related sessions at the ASU+GSV Summit, AI-powered workflows are the focus. We see the convergence of AI-enhanced work deliverables and workforce learning through the concept of “learning in the flow of work”. The phrase about making learning on the go more accessible in the workplace was first coined by Josh Bersin in 2018. Since time is the biggest barrier to workplace learning, managers often feel like it’s a tradeoff between work and learning—with traditional learning taking employees away from business priorities. With Bersin’s methodology for “learning in the flow of work”, learning doesn’t interrupt productivity, but rather enhances it. The conversation at the ASU+GSV Summit about “Automation and AI Supercharging Learning in the Flow of Work” is then looking to combine the opportunity for productivity from AI tools with improved results from new modes of learning, not just through content consumption but experiential project-based learning. 

The introduction of more AI tools in knowledge work presents an opportunity to bridge the gap between learning how to use the tool and extracting its value. For instance, Microsoft Word won't make you a great writer, and using Salesforce won't make you a great salesperson. AI tool creators and educators need to combine forces to approach learning with a combined arms approach—where projects allow learners to master both the tools and the underlying skillset. Prompt engineering is an emerging field that concentrates on creating prompts and suggestions that assist users in maximizing the potential of AI tools. It is an excellent illustration of how proficiency in working with generative AI may become as prevalent as "proficiency on Excel" on resumes. In the a16z podcast with Guy Parsons, an illustrator who’s spent hours on DALL-E to refine text to image prompting, Guy compares prompt engineering not to coding skills, but mastering how to search on Google.  

With the emphasis to explore how to maximize learning outcomes using AI tools at this year’s ASU+GSV Summit coinciding with the popularity of large language models like ChatGPT, we’re sure that this is the beginning of education supercharged by AI, and vice versa. 

We are thrilled to attend the summit as an Elite200 startup and join in the conversations about latest developments in education innovation. Follow our learnings at the summit here.