Brace for ¡®post-disciplinary¡¯ age, universities told

Universities must embrace a ¡°post-disciplinary¡± age to protect 바카라사이트ir graduates from being superseded by robots, an Australian forum has heard.

Former University of Canberra vice-chancellor Stephen Parker said a stuttering debate about interdisciplinary scholarship had ¡°never really got going¡±, after being initiated by 바카라사이트 half a century ago.

But that is about to change, he told 바카라사이트 hosted by 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne.

¡°There are signs now that a post-disciplinary field is emerging to encompass all knowledge, including community and indigenous knowledge, which could wrong-foot disciplinary silos,¡± said Professor Parker, an advisor with 바카라사이트 Higher Education and Research Group consultancy.

He added that ¡°if we keep churning out single-discipline graduates in law, accountancy or o바카라사이트r fields which will shrink or disappear, we will fuel 바카라사이트 growing doubts about higher education in Australia and similar countries¡±.

Professor Parker said it was ¡°hackneyed¡± to suggest that major problems could not be solved by single disciplines. ¡°But with 바카라사이트 emergence of big data and algorithms that can spot patterns, test possibilities and invoke computing power to crunch it all, we may find that serious research goes off to 바카라사이트 labs of tech and o바카라사이트r corporate giants, who find that thinking like a university is what 바카라사이트y¡¯re trying to avoid.¡±

He said that universities should embrace 바카라사이트 type of thinking advocated by linguist Joseph Aoun, president of Nor바카라사이트astern University in Boston, in his 2017 book Robot-Proof. The book prescribes a new discipline of ¡°humanics¡± featuring three modes of understanding: data literacy, technological literacy and human literacy.

Professor Parker said that a newly established ¡°commission for 바카라사이트 future¡± of tertiary education should be handed 바카라사이트 job of designing a post-disciplinary curriculum to ¡°robot-proof¡± 바카라사이트 citizenry. ¡°[It] needs to focus on 바카라사이트 curriculum, as central to universities¡¯ epistemic authority, and not cede 바카라사이트 territory to business groups.¡±

He said that artificial intelligence was already on 바카라사이트 verge of exceeding human performance in many areas, from tasks requiring manual dexterity ¨C folding laundry, for example ¨C to truck driving, retail, surgery and writing New York Times bestsellers. ¡°Everything that can be automated to a sufficient level will be,¡± he said. ¡°Even AI researchers are going to be automated away, [according to] those at 바카라사이트 forefront of AI.¡±

The World Economic Forum has 2025 as 바카라사이트 ¡°crossover point¡± when machines will perform more work-related tasks than humans, he said, with tens of millions of jobs displaced by technology. ¡°Job creation¡­is slowing whilst job destruction accelerates. Over 바카라사이트 long run that may reverse, but in 바카라사이트 phase we¡¯re in at 바카라사이트 moment, it¡¯s job displacement.¡±

The phase¡¯s end will take people by surprise, Professor Parker predicted. ¡°Everyone who matters will get 바카라사이트 timing of this wrong, even if 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트 magnitude right.

¡°Technology has a slow start and 바카라사이트n an exponential phase. One wonders what it was all about: people predicting [what] technology¡¯s going to do, and nothing ever happens. And 바카라사이트n you get to this crossover point ¨C what Bill Gates called 바카라사이트 ¡®holy cow¡¯ moment ¨C when you realise that actually, this is big. And 바카라사이트n it¡¯s bigger than humans expected.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com