Digital change is progressing inexorably and presenting us with new challenges – especially in the world of work. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly automating routine tasks and fundamentally changing the way we work. But what does this mean for us as individuals and as a society? What role does cultural education play in this transformation process? We talked about this as part of our AI Compass project in cooperation with the KuBi Academy.
AI as a driver of change
AI systems are able to take on complex tasks that were previously reserved for humans. On the one hand, this leads to increased efficiency and productivity gains, but on the other hand it also causes uncertainty and fears of job losses. The latest McKinsey study shows that up to three million jobs could be affected by 2030 in Germany alone, which corresponds to seven percent of total employment. Even if the exact figures have been forecast, one thing is clear: the change in the world of work brought about by AI is profound and irreversible.(See our summary of the study in the AI Compass here).
More free time – a curse or a blessing?
But AI also offers opportunities. When routine tasks are eliminated, there is more time for creative, social and meaningful activities. Back in the 1930s, economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that technological progress would bring us an “age of leisure and abundance” in which people would only have to work 15 hours a week. Even if we are still a long way from this, it is becoming apparent that AI could give us more free time. But are we prepared for this? Have we learned how to use this newfound time wisely?
Cultural education as a compass for change
This is where cultural education comes into play. It can help us to shape digital change in a human-centered way and develop our creativity and personality. Cultural education promotes skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and lifelong learning – key skills in a world in transition. It creates spaces for reflection and discourse in which we can come to an understanding about our values and visions for the future. And it enables us to make our free time meaningful and fulfilling, whether through artistic activity, social engagement or personal development.
Our AI Compass Talk on May 28, 2024
We started the conversation with 3 impulses:
Anja’s introduction: Digital change and challenges
- Germany lags behind in digitalization and resilience
- Society is divided into skeptics and supporters of digital change
- Willingness to undergo further training in Germany is low
- Informal education is becoming increasingly important
- Questions for creative artists: How do they become thought leaders? What ambitious projects are there? What does the job of a digital cultural manager look like?
We need to think about how we can offer people who are open-minded but don’t yet know how to approach AI something that is completely different from traditional training formats.
– Anja C. Wagner
Anke’s perspective as a cultural worker
- Art and culture are not exempt from digital change
- Resistance and skepticism towards AI in the cultural sector
- Cultural education must face up to the responsibility of empowering people to deal with change
- New formats and content are needed to achieve a reflective mindset
- Cultural sector to serve as a “training arena” for dealing with AI
Cultural education must live up to its responsibility and enable people to deal with AI in a critical and reflective way. This requires new formats and content.
-Anke von Heyl
Daniel’s additions and impulses
- AI systems are a product of human culture
- Interdisciplinary perspective on AI is important (cognitive sciences)
- Education plays a decisive role in shaping the relationship with AI
- Historical classification: Philosophers such as Leibniz, Wittgenstein and Minsky laid the foundations for AI
- Schools struggle with the integration of AI topics
- Cultural education must compensate for what does not happen at school
- Developing future scenarios and narratives to shape the future of AI
AI systems are a product of human culture. We have to define what we want and formulate requirements from every field, especially culture.
-Daniel Autenrieth
Cultural education in the field of tension between different cultural concepts
The discussion about the responsibility of cultural education in the digital transformation raises fundamental questions about the understanding of culture. Anja’s concept of culture, which is influenced by Clifford Geertz and Geert Hofstede, emphasizes the collective dimension of culture as the “software of the mind”. According to this, culture manifests itself in shared values, symbols and practices that shape the thoughts and actions of individuals.
In contrast, there is a narrower concept of culture that primarily associates culture with art, aesthetics and education. Anke points out that the cultural sector cannot retreat to an “island of analogy and authenticity”. Rather, cultural education must face up to the responsibility of enabling people to deal with digital change.
Daniel adds that AI systems are ultimately a product of human culture. In order to shape them humanely, we need a well-founded social discourse on the future scenarios we are striving for. This is where cultural education can come in by creating spaces for experimentation and reflection.
According to Anja, competence arises from the interplay between individual skills and the cultural and infrastructural framework conditions. If these change as a result of digitalization, individuals must find a proactive way of dealing with them in order to help shape the change. Cultural education can open up approaches to this that go beyond a purely technical perspective.
It is crucial that cultural education understands the digital transformation as a comprehensive cultural transformation. To achieve this, it must integrate different cultural concepts: On the one hand, it is about finding artistic and aesthetic forms of expression for new digital phenomena and critical reflections. On the other hand, it must keep the collective dimension of culture in mind and create spaces for social understanding.
In this way, cultural education can help us to see digital change not just as a technological disruption, but as a task of shaping a future that is good for people. This requires the courage to experiment, openness to new perspectives and the willingness to question cherished certainties. If cultural education accepts this challenge, it can become an important compass in the digital transformation.
A call to rethink
The responsibility of cultural education in the changing world of work is enormous. It must rise to the challenge of empowering people to actively shape digital change instead of passively suffering it. This requires new formats and content that promote a reflective mindset and leave no one behind. Access to cultural education is becoming a social issue in order to prevent a digital divide in society.
It is time for us to rethink our priorities. In a world where machines are taking over more and more work, we need to redefine what makes us human and what gives our lives meaning and fulfillment. Cultural education can serve as a compass and help us make the most of the opportunities that AI opens up to us. Let’s tackle it!
P.S. The cover picture is a visual suggestion from ChatGPT 4o to the Talk transcript.