AI and a Digital Pause

No one is enough. No single thought is the perfect answer to all of our problems in the age of AI. We need everyone to collaborate and produce new knowledge in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Knowledge that feels the struggles of concrete history. Knowledge that listens to the laments of the overlooked, and the unbanked. Knowledge that takes apart the prejudgements and prejudices of the Industrial Enlightenment, and the linkages to our plantation past. Knowledge that influences the future through AI assemblages.

In the past, the bourgeoisie imagined they were more skilled than those they ruled. But that is far from the truth. During British rule in Trinidad, the first buildings on Nelson Island were constructed by skilled African craftsmen known as the King’s Slaves. The superiority of the planter was not in skill or talent but in unjust legal and economic systems.

However, it is possible that the rich may become more talented and creative than the economically challenged in the era of artificial life and technological disruption. Once an ability gap opens between the rich and the poor, it will be difficult to close it. Moreover, if the wealthy use their superior skills and capabilities to create more wealth, the gap will widen.

The promise of economic globalization was equality. New technologies were supposed to accelerate the advance towards this objective. But AI may now create the most unequal societies in human history. AI may exacerbate inherited inequality and intergenerational immobility in LAC.

What can be the role of schools and Universities in our present time? AI has already reshaped learning. Where are schools going? Where are they taking our children? Why are they doing the things that they are realizing? The future depends on the good formation of the youth. Students need to discover the power of the imagination, see inspiration mushroom, and know how to express their sentiments. Through this grace, they come into contact with thinkers, experience the joy of serendipity, fail fast, and learn from their mistakes.

Authentic knowledge comes from the mud of the low swampy zones of actual effort, not the high hard ground of theory. The Age of AI brings with it, a new humility. A humbleness that helps us to know what we do not know. A meekness that recognizes the dignity of everyone as we walk holding the hand of the future in a present that is ablaze.

In the Age of AI, schools and Universities must seek to reawaken the stimulus of polish in what is human. This calls for a redefinition of mission and not losing sight of the AI horizon. The work of formation requires students who are open to wonder and the mystery of the complex reality of the world.

Without wonder, formative action can devolve into arid intellectualism. Nurturing curiosity kindles the slow fuse of the imagination. To curb screen time, President Emmanuel Macron is piloting a limited “Digital Pause” in French schools. In September 2024, 50,000 students across 180 French middle schools for children up to the age of 15 are participating in an experiment that removes mobile phones from the classrooms during the school day. If the experiment is successful, the “Digital Pause” will be expanded nationwide by 2025.

The pilot requires students to hand over their devices during the morning reception. In March 2024, the government of France published a report that showed a clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital devices on sleep and other behaviours.

The pilot project aims to foster a healthier learning environment and limit distractions. The government of France hopes it will help to improve concentration, reduce violent incidents, curb online harassment, enhance the overall “school climate” and raise awareness about the ethical and responsible use of AI and social media.

The Westminster government in England in February 2024, approached the problem differently. They issued a non-statutory guidance affirming that schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones. However, the non-statutory guidance left school leadership in the hands of headmasters, and required principals and teachers to “develop and implement a policy…which reflects their school´s individual contexts and needs.” A similar guidance was issued in Spain. In Germany and The Netherlands, it is too, a recommendation and not a legal obligation to prohibit smartphones.

Some argue that these measures can accidentally rob our children of tomorrow if we teach today the way we taught yesterday. The Prime Minister of Australia has drafted new laws that propose a social media ban on children under 16.

The digital ban has the protection of children from the “harms” of social media as its only aim. The nineteen-page legislation is a “framework” that leaves the implementation and enforcement of rules to the eSafety Commissioner.

The ban will apply to all children under sixteen without exemptions. Many have criticized the legislation as being too blunt. Fencing the ocean is unrealistic. But we can create regulated and protected environments with guardrails.  Perhaps a new “digital duty of care” law can make it a legal obligation for AI companies and social media platforms to prioritize the safety of children.