AI as a sidekick

Sometimes you have one of those moments when everything clicks. When energy, curiosity and practice come together. That happened at the symposium of ROC Mondriaan, where I got to run my AI as a sidekick workshop twice on behalf of Education Oracle. Almost fifty participants, each with their own questions, doubts and ideas about AI in education.

We didn't start with technology, but with a different perspective. AI not as a replacement, but as a sidekick. As something that stands beside you, thinks along with you and strengthens your work. And from there it more or less took care of itself.

Participants brought their own practice with them. Situations from their lessons, their guidance of students or conversations with them. Use cases grew out of those concrete moments. Not abstract examples, but things that really matter. And from there we started building.

What struck me was how quickly the tipping point came. A little searching at first, but as soon as we moved from idea to prompt, something changed. People stopped asking what AI can do and started asking what they want AI to do. That step matters.

We then turned those prompts into AI Companions in EduGPT. And that's where it got really interesting. Suddenly the AI had a role, a purpose, a context. Not a generic chatbot, but something you design yourself. Something that fits your teaching.

When participants also started adding their own files, you could see the penny drop. The responses became sharper, more relevant, more usable. Not because the AI got smarter, but because the design got better.

And that may well be the core of the whole workshop. It's not about the technology, but about how you use it. How you stay in control. How you keep learning at the centre.

At the end they took home a digital goodie bag, with practical tools for making AI transparent and open to discussion. Because AI isn't going away. But how we deal with it is something we can influence.

And I gave away two copies of my book, “De kunst van het samen(over)leven met AI” (The art of living (and surviving) together with AI). More info: https://lnkd.in/eWQpThAZ

What stayed with me after these two sessions? That people mainly need direction and room to experiment. And that if you facilitate that well, something beautiful emerges.

AI as a sidekick works. But only if you decide what that sidekick does.

Thank you ROC Mondriaan for this beautifully organised day! And thanks to the participants in my workshop! You were brilliant! 💪