As AI reshapes every facet of modern life, education stands at the center of its most profound transformation. From personalized learning systems to algorithm-driven assessments, the tools of knowledge acquisition are evolving faster than the philosophies that guide them. Yet behind the promise of efficiency and precision lies a deeper question: what does it truly mean to learn in an age where machines can replicate understanding?
In this conversation with Markets Herald, Armenian entrepreneur and industrialist Vazgen Gevorkyan reflects on the enduring value of human wisdom in a technology-driven world. He argues that while AI can deliver information with unprecedented speed, it cannot replace the essence of learning, our capacity for curiosity, judgment, and meaning.
Close your eyes and envision how learning will appear in the next decade. A future with AI teachers and virtual classrooms is widely predicted.
The major change that is taking place is philosophical in nature. The world is on the cusp of an educational paradigm shift, one that will call upon humans to rediscover the meaning of “understanding” as opposed to merely “knowing”.
AI creates an immediacy of knowledge on a scale never previously possible. Anyone with access to a keyboard appears intelligent. No process gives greater dividends than acquiring the language of the intelligent.
Technology is also transforming the way people acquire knowledge, as well as how one is regarded as an expert today.
My educational background started with my father. He shared with me traditional Armenian stories that held messages of perseverance, judgment, and bravery. He taught me how I think, even to the point of how I make decisions today.
This is tacit knowledge. It is learned through observation and participation.I often consider it as the source of wild ideas, the insights that you develop from living.
Such learning is vital in the current wave of automation. A machine is able to process data, but a machine is unable to interpret meaning the way humans do.
The availability of data has not led to greater insight but has instead made discrimination even more crucial. Discriminating between good information, relating ideas, or seeing the big picture is the hallmark of learning itself nowadays.
Intelligence is the product of understanding and application. It is the quality of being able to apply information effectively and properly.
When I went back to higher education, it was because I was curious about the world around me. My doctoral work on the management of resource conservation brought me into contact with the field of system thinking.
The more sophisticated the AI, the more difficult it is to distinguish between real understanding and machine production. Knowledge is the result of curiosity and context. Information needs judgment, integrity, and honesty.
The future of education will be based on these attributes. There will be integration between the technology skill and the human insight.
Integrity, critical thinking, and empathy will also be the hallmark of meaningful learning experiences. The intent is to apply information, rather than merely taking in more facts.
Continuous learning is now necessary for one to develop. The rate of technological and social changes is demanding constant upskilling and reflection.
The success factor in the upcoming decade will be the integration of analytical precision with intuitive insights. AI will help increase the availability of knowledge, but its interpretation is the domain of humans.
To be able to think on one’s own while utilizing technology efficiently is the skill of “learning beyond algorithms.” This skill comprises the best practices of technology with human judgment. Education in the age of AI means applying one’s knowledge with clarity, with intent, and with accountability.