Skills Such as General Knowledge, Writing, and Modeling Are Declining

According to Khatam University’s Public Relations Department, the promotional chair session titled “A Framework for the Synergistic Integration of Human–Digital Factors for Educational Management” was held on Saturday, 6 Dey 1404, in Imam Reza Hall, with a presentation by Dr. Babak Majidi, Associate Professor of the Computer Engineering Department at Khatam University.

At the beginning of the session, Dr. Nakisa Hedayatzadeh, Assistant Professor of the Architecture and Research Arts Department at Khatam University and Secretary of the Committee, in brief remarks referred to the actions taken to organize promotional chair sessions at the university through the efforts of the Architecture and Art Department over the past months. She described today’s session as the first of these chairs and expressed hope that, with the participation and cooperation of professors and faculty members from other departments, planning for future sessions would also be carried out.

Subsequently, Dr. Babak Majidi, Associate Professor of the Computer Engineering Department at Khatam University, presented his discussion titled “A Framework for the Synergistic Integration of Human–Digital Factors for Educational Management.” At the outset, referring to the various manifestations of the serious entry of intelligent digital agents into human life through tools such as artificial intelligence, he described one of the capabilities of these tools as performing new activities in the field of educational management.

He stated: “Artificial intelligence in the world is gradually moving toward a direction in which it simulates our abilities, and its ultimate goal is dominance over humans. At the same time, we humans are also teaching and transferring all of our abilities to machines, and this issue has doubled the speed at which artificial intelligence learns from humans, to the point that it becomes an entity equivalent to us, which should be called a digital agent.”

Dr. Majidi noted that, based on the latest scientific estimates conducted worldwide, by 2030 the integration of collaboration between humans and intelligent digital agents will be realized in most environments. He added: “When you work with an intelligent agent, you first define a goal for yourself, then consider a set of factors to achieve that goal, and alongside them, another set of factors monitors the implementation of this process to reach the goal. These human factors are not uniform and can take the form of an image, a face, or a robot.”

The Associate Professor of the Computer Engineering Department at Khatam University further referred to a McKinsey report on the state of the labor market and its susceptibility to intelligent digital factors in recent years and its outlook for the coming years. He said: “According to this report, jobs are categorized into three types: either physical, digital, or jobs in which our human social and emotional behaviors are involved. Based on the McKinsey report, jobs that have a strong human relationship component are non-automatable, and conversely, jobs whose communicative and emotional components are very weak are automatable.”

Dr. Majidi added: “Over the past two years, the percentage of skills required by the labor market through the use of artificial intelligence has increased sharply, especially in the three main fields of computer science, management, and marketing. The reality is that skills such as having a high level of general knowledge, writing, and mathematical modeling are declining and gradually disappearing, and this is a challenge facing future educational management. In contrast, the skills we will need are those that move toward interactive skills.”

He then noted: “What will be important in education for managing the next generation is knowledge. For example, today in so-called Alpha schools we are faced with a combination of physical activity and full artificial intelligence, in which mastery of knowledge is very important to the success of this approach.”

During the continuation of the session, Dr. Abdolrahim Noeh Ebrahim, as the first critic, raised remarks regarding structural challenges in educational systems and said: “Our problem today in the field of education involves both the student and the teacher, who face difficulties in choosing how to engage with and benefit from artificial intelligence. In addition, it is important to raise the question of who will take responsibility if artificial intelligence makes an incorrect judgment regarding the questions posed. This issue requires further discussion and examination.”

Dr. Seyed Hossein Razavi Haji-Agha, as the second critic of the session, also raised points regarding the integration of human and digital factors in educational management, while considering its realization to require a comprehensive transformation in the educational system. He emphasized: “The reality is that the educational system has not yet determined its position with regard to artificial intelligence, and I believe we need a process-based reconsideration in this area.”

At this session, Dr. Esmail Bani-Ardalan, a member of the Promotional Chair Council, also raised points about the importance of engaging correctly with artificial intelligence and avoiding excitement and emotional reactions in this path.