The skills and knowledge necessary to be able to use technology to solve problems, devise solutions or create new services must be taught, they are not learned being mere users

cc2.- Nuria Oliver

The 21st century is a century of opportunity, but also of global challenges that threaten our survival. Our success as a species is accompanied, among others, by an increasingly ageing population, the climate and energy crisis, and a pressing loss of biodiversity on a global scale. In this context, the potential of artificial intelligence to help us seek solutions is immense. An artificial intelligence for the social good that in many cases is not yet invented and in which the next generations will have an important role to play. However, are we preparing today’s children so that they can contribute to tomorrow’s world?

The answer is probably not. Among other reasons, because we confused using technology with having the ability to invent it. Digital natives don’t exist. The skills and knowledge necessary to be able to use technology as a tool to solve problems, devise solutions or create new services must be taught; they are not learned being mere users. In order to contribute to the society of the future, it is not enough to be a user of technology – without a first step to be able to adapt to an increasingly automated world.

It is clear that the use of technology is intense and global. It is estimated that globally we spend more than six and a half hours a day looking at screens, of which almost four hours correspond to the time we spend looking at our smartphones. This figure rises to more than nine hours a day among children and adolescents in the United States (11 and 14 years), according to the U.S. Center for Disease Prevention and nine and a half hours among the inhabitants of South Africa, according to Statista. However, if we aspire to the next generations not only integrate into this technological future, but also participate in its design, it is essential to teach them how technology works and to encourage the development of critical thinking about its use. There’s a big difference between consuming and knowing.

That is why I propose that we make efforts to foster a culture of digital scholars. This concept involves dimensions of both technical knowledge of technology, as well as the development of creativity, critical thinking and emotional and social tools to make decisions, collaborate and contribute in the society of the future.

From a technical knowledge perspective, being a digital scholar means knowing in detail how the technology we use works in our day-to-day lives, in order to be able to create new tools that contribute to progress and help us face global challenges.

Many of the complex problems we face, such as global warming, the energy crisis, the ageing population or the gap between rich and poor, will require solutions with a strong technological component, using technology that we have not yet invented. Being a digital scholar involves mastering computational thinking and its five basic skills: crismart thinking, programming, data, networks and hardware. Computer thinking is the equivalent of learning to read, writing and basic mathematics in the 21st century. Let us not forget that there is no more easily manipulable society than an ignorant society. How are we going to collectively decide what kind of technological development we want if we do not know what we are talking about?

But beyond technical skills, being a digital scholar involves embracing a balance between the digital world and the tangible reality surrounding us. Being a digital scholar requires developing critical thinking, creativity, empathy, tolerance, perseverance, concentration held on a complex task, patience, flexibility, ability to manage boredom or accept long-term gratification. Skills we know have essential value not only for our well-being, but also for our ability to coexist peacefully and collaborate in a global world. Skills that we can hardly develop and cultivate with exclusively technological experiences, designed to gratify us immediately, generating cycles of addiction, with frequent interruptions, with a focus on the present and where the richness and multisensoriality of human interaction face to face is lost.

Being a digital scholar means knowing how to disconnect and maintain a presence and physical connection with the world around us, aspects key to our mental health, our emotional well-being, our ability to collaborate with others, our creativity, and, ultimately, our happiness. To be a digital scholar is to recognize the importance of disconnecting to reconnect with our physical environment, with the people we love, and with ourselves. It is to understand that the true richness of life is found in the complexity of human relations, in the exploration of nature, in artistic expression and in the search for the purpose of our existence.

A society of digital scholars is one that balances technological innovation with humanistic wisdom, thus cultivating people and societies capable of navigate with skill in the digital world while maintaining a deep connection with their environment and their own humanity. A society of digital scholars will be able to innovate responsibly, to use technology to solve global challenges and to promote human well-being in an interconnected world. Are we ready to lead this digital revolution with integrity and wisdom? It’s time to work to get a world of digital scholars.

Nuria Oliver is a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from MIT, co-founder and director of Ellis.eu Alicante, a non-profit organization to promote research in artificial intelligence in Europe.CommentsRules