Tag: knowledge production

How generative AI is really changing education – by outsourcing the production of knowledge to Big Tech

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A classroom-like setting inside a large server room, where students in white lab coats sit at desks with holographic screens projected from their devices. Above them, a neon sign blue logo glows for 'BIG TECH EDUSYNC' is prominent. The students have blank expressions, connected by wires. The scene criticises the outsourcing of education to technology. Generated by Nano Banana.
The rise of generative AI is fundamentally reshaping education, leading to concerns that the critical process of ‘knowledge production’ is being outsourced to Big Tech companies. This image visualises a future where learning environments are dominated by AI, raising questions about autonomy, critical thinking, and the ultimate source of truth in an AI-driven academic landscape. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

The Conversation

Summary

This article argues that generative AI is shifting the locus of knowledge production from academic institutions into the hands of Big Tech platforms. As students and educators increasingly rely on AI tools, the power to define what counts as knowledge — what is true, what is cited, what is authoritative — is ceded to private firms. That shift risks marginalising critical thinking, local curricula, and disciplinary expertise. The author calls for reclaiming epistemic authority: universities must define their own ways of knowing, educate students not just in content but in evaluative judgement, and negotiate more equitable relationships with AI platforms so that academic integrity and autonomy aren’t compromised.

Key Points

  • Generative AI tools increasingly mediate how knowledge is accessed, curated and presented—Big Tech becomes a gatekeeper.
  • Reliance on AI may weaken disciplinary expertise and the role of scholars as knowledge producers.
  • Students may accept AI outputs uncritically, transferring trust to algorithmic systems over faculty.
  • To respond, higher education must build student literacy in epistemics (how we know what we know) and insist AI remain assistive, not authoritative.
  • Universities should set policy, technical frameworks, and partnerships that protect research norms, attribution, and diverse knowledge systems.

Keywords

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URL

https://theconversation.com/how-generative-ai-is-really-changing-education-by-outsourcing-the-production-of-knowledge-to-big-tech-263160

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