In 1997, the world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, was beaten by IBM’s Deep Blue computer. ‘It was a depressing day for the human race’, commented The Guardian. Twenty years later, Kasparov himself hit the nail on the head: ‘For the first time in history, machines are threatening the jobs we do with diplomas. Yet our education system still selects on the basis of memorization and calculation, even though any machine can perform these tasks more efficiently than a human being.
We are currently undergoing a major transition in our evolution: the development of artificial intelligence and discoveries in genetics are posing unprecedented challenges to the human race. How can we ensure that education and research adapt quickly enough in this rapidly changing world? What is the place of human beings in a world of machines? How can we use technology to develop our individual capacities and our collective intelligence?
François Taddei argues for a (re)evolution of our knowledge. He takes us through the intricacies of the brain, the best friend and sometimes worst enemy of learning. He also looks at how we can learn with others, in cooperation, as all living organisms have done since the origins of life, and explores the best ways to start asking ourselves, if not the right questions, at least the right questions.