We stand at the threshold of the greatest educational revolution in history. An educational system created in the 18th century has persisted for over 200 years, but now everything is about to change as AI makes its full entrance into educational settings.
Limitations of the Current Educational System
Looking at today's high school classrooms reveals a striking irony. In Korea, Out of 30 students, 20 are sleeping because they've already completed advanced learning at private academies. What about the remaining 10? They're either students who've given up on math or kids thinking, "I'm going to be a comedian" or "I'm going to be a soccer player."
The problem is that our education system still adheres to the mass production methods of the Industrial Revolution era. It's a system that uniformly educates all students to fit the same mold. But we're no longer in an era where only doctors and lawyers make good money. It's common now for YouTubers or artists to earn more than doctors. While the diversity of talents has expanded, education remains uniform.
The Future of Education That AI Will Transform
The educational landscape will be completely different in 10 years. Even in math classes, individualized education will take place. A student dreaming of becoming a comedian will only need to understand calculus concepts, while a student aspiring to be a mathematician will learn much more advanced mathematics.
Textbooks and exam questions will be individually generated according to each student's dreams and vision, and evaluation criteria will also differ. Who will handle this individualized education? AI agents.
Google recently announced that its Gemini-based AI can already handle everything from lesson design to individual learning support and performance analysis. It provides sophisticated lessons that enable students to engage in self-directed learning.
The Great Transformation of the Private Education Market
The core of the current private education market is 'relative evaluation' - a system that assigns universities through ranking students from 1st to 500,000th place. However, AI already ranks in the top 5% on college entrance exams, top 5% on SATs, and top 10% on bar exams. In 10 years, it will be in the top 0.01%.
As proven in the game of Go, AI has surpassed the best human players for over a decade. The current private education approach centered on memorizing knowledge and solving problems will inevitably change 100%.
Universities will also place more importance on problem-solving abilities, creative thinking, and real-world experience rather than simple test scores. The entire admission system is likely to undergo fundamental changes.
The Changing Role of Teachers
Will the teaching profession disappear? Not at all. In fact, it will play an even more important role. Teachers must now become 'great coaches.'
"How are things with your parents lately?", "You said you dream of being an entertainer - how about preparing in this way?", "You mentioned you're not getting along well with friends - what's your biggest concern?"
This kind of holistic counseling and coaching becomes the core role of teachers. While AI delivers knowledge, teachers will nurture students' hearts and help cultivate their dreams.
Polarization of the Job Market
The AI era will intensify job market polarization. On one side, jobs like taxi drivers will disappear. Driverless taxis are already operating in California and San Francisco. Tesla plans to launch AI autonomous taxis for under $30,000.
On the other hand, physical labor like plumbing will actually increase in value. In Canada, plumbers earn $2,000 per day and $40,000 per month. They drive BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes. This is because each house has different plumbing structures, making it difficult for AI to replace.
In the United States, over 350,000 software developers have already been laid off. It's an ironic situation where developers who contributed to creating AI are the first to be laid off by AI.
Core Competencies Needed in the AI Era
The Ability to Ask Questions
Curiosity to ask the right questions is more important than memorizing and providing answers. AI already solves most problems that have existing answers.
Metacognitive Ability
This is the ability to judge "Can I accomplish this task?" Like knowing which problems to solve first and which to skip on a math test, it's the ability to accurately know your limitations and possibilities.
Resilience
Instead of locking yourself in a room drinking soju and giving up when you fail, it's the power to bounce back like a muscle, using failure experiences as data. Elon Musk is a prime example. SpaceX only had three chances to fail, but through those failure experiences, they created the world's best rockets.
Execution and Networking
AI can only learn from human success experiences. Since it has no body, it cannot directly experience failure. Therefore, the ability to actually meet people, have diverse experiences, and expand networks becomes even more important.
Korea's AI Talent Crisis
In a situation where big tech companies offer annual salaries of $100 million to a single AI talent, Korea is experiencing serious brain drain. While 70% of Korean students studying in the US want to stay there, 70% of Chinese students return to their home country.
AI talent salaries in Korea are around $75,000, but in the US, they start at $225,000. With 5-10 years of experience, they easily exceed $750,000. This is why smart talents are leaving for America.
Solution: Strategic Focus
Direct competition with China's 1.4 billion population is impossible. Even the top 1% of China's AI talent outnumbers Korea's entire AI talent pool. Therefore, strategic focus is necessary.
1. Preventing domestic talent drain: Policy support such as military service exemptions and salary support
2. Attracting overseas talent: Encouraging Korean students abroad to return and recruiting foreign talent
3. Creating startup ecosystems: Expanding government funds and providing permanent residency to foreign entrepreneurs
4. Fostering global companies: Improving the reality where there isn't a single listed company with a foreign CEO
Most major US companies (Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA, AMD) were founded or are managed by immigrants or former international students. Korea needs such open policies too.
## Conclusion
The educational revolution of the AI era has already begun. We stand at a crossroads: will we cling to a 200-year-old outdated educational system, or will we transition to education suited for the new era?
The important thing is not to fear AI, but to develop the capabilities to live alongside it. Creativity, humanity, and an endless spirit of challenge - not memorization and problem-solving - will be the core of future education.
For Korea not to fall behind in the AI era, bold changes and investments are needed starting now. It's time to concentrate national capabilities on educational system innovation and talent development.