Full disclosure: Dixon is not what you’d call an early adopter or even a technology enthusiast, per se. His social media presence is limited to his LinkedIn profile. But, being as he is a scholar of worker insecurity — Dixon also teaches a seminar called Precarious Work — he recognized early the potential threat AI posed to certain industries and the opportunities it offered others. He resolved to research and teach on the topic more directly.
“I took a kind of ‘Game of Thrones’ approach to AI, which is adapt or die,” Dixon said.
Now he’s seeing his trajectory mirrored in the experience of his students.
‘Views have become more nuanced’
“One of the things I’ve been impressed with is my students saying that their views have become more nuanced,” Dixon said. “It depends upon the use case. So, whereas some students might be a little more positive on AI and health care, they might be much less positive about AI in work and business.”
In other words, it’s difficult to be middle of the road when it comes to AI.
Sarah Walicki ’25 is a sociology major with minors in deaf studies and environmental studies, and will pursue a master’s in general and special education after graduation. Like Yanco, Walicki too began her study of AI with an apprehension approaching resistance. “Walking into class on the first day, I was anti-AI,” she said. “I was uninformed and had been taught that AI could only be considered cheating.”
Now, Walicki holds a pragmatic view: “I’m beginning to see the potential for a career focused on the ethical implementation of AI in education — something I never imagined was within reach.
“I am a realist,” she continues. “I understand the reasons why AI has seeped into our daily lives, our relationships, our schools and our legal/justice systems. AI’s development is inevitable; it will reshape our future and I would rather be proactive about it.”
Dixon’s course has become a talking point in Walicki’s graduate school interviews.
“It has allowed me to highlight my ability to make connections across disciplines and apply AI to my goals as an educator,” Walicki says. “One of my main goals is to provide equitable, fair access to education through understanding social contexts that shape a student’s classroom experience. My practice as an educator will inevitably have components of AI and I want to develop alongside technology, rather than rush to catch up.
“Am I still scared that AI will diminish our ability to critically think? Yes,” she notes. “But I think being knowledgeable about the positive uses will lessen that impact. While I am beginning to see the positives of AI, I still grapple with the moral dilemma of what increased technology means for humanity. One of the hardest things about this course is that AI is not clear-cut. Within a single class, my opinions are challenged and changed. I think that’s what this course is all about — not teaching a single narrative about AI, but to prepare us as students to live in a modern and adapting world.”
