Duke University professor Dr. Nita Farahany is one of the world’s foremost experts on the ethical, legal, and social implications of neurotechnology and artificial intelligence. She’s also a Montessori mom.
The American Montessori Society (AMS) is honored to have Dr. Farahany serve as the keynote speaker and facilitator of the AMS Leadership Labposium. She will help Montessori leaders delve deeper into the value of and strategies related to integrating technology thoughtfully into Montessori education. We know the importance of preserving our Montessori values. As a community, we will come together to envision the future of Montessori and how we can utilize new technologies to enhance our teaching practices. We encourage a diverse group of Montessori leaders to engage in this discussion, no matter their role within education or their knowledge level of AI and neurotechnology.
As a preview of what she will cover at Labposium, Dr. Farahany recently shared her thoughts with AMS about the possibilities and concerns at the intersection of Montessori education and technology.
Interview answers have been consolidated and edited for clarity and brevity, with the permission of Dr. Farahany.
What are the largest implications new technologies will have on education? Do you believe teachers and students can use emerging tech to improve their practices?
Dr. Nita Farahany:
AI is going to transform education in ways that are both good and bad. For teachers, it could help you brainstorm creative ways to engage a student. It’s really about enabling customization. These new technologies can help teachers create “customized tutors” for each student. Every child has a different way of asking questions or learning material. Having every teacher try to answer different questions in a different way can be challenging. With neurotechnology and AI, a child might even choose to learn how their brain reacts to information and then use AI to help customize learning plans according to that information. AI and neurotechnology can create an iterative process that takes into account a child’s personality and their cognitive learning >
