Role of Graduate Education in the Age of AI
A recent conversation with a graduate student made me ponder the role of graduate education in the age of AI. The student remarked on the abundance of online lectures from prestigious universities like Stanford and Cambridge available on YouTube, and the convenience of AI-powered tools for programming and writing. While the student did not explicitly question the need for graduate school, their comment sparked a reflection on the true purpose of graduate education.
Beyond Knowledge Transfer and Skill Acquisition
In recent years, the advancement of online lectures and AI tools is astonishing. However, the true value of graduate education goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge and skill acquisition. In an era saturated with information, it is more critical than ever to cultivate individuals who can think independently, and create new knowledge.
The Importance of Dialogue and Discussion
While online lectures offer convenience, they lack the interactive nature of real-time lectures, which is crucial for fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In-depth discussions are essential for pinning down research questions, finding truly unsolved problems, and seeking for hints. These can only be achieved through dialogue and interaction with faculty and peers.
Fostering True Creativity
AI excels at combining existing knowledge, but true creativity remains a uniquely human trait. The ability to generate original ideas and create new value is highly sought after in all fields. Breakthroughs often stem from unexpected combinations of seemingly unrelated disciplines. In addition, humans can have deep interest and surprise with emotion in doing research activities.
A Space for Critical Thinking and Dialogue
Therefore, graduate education should not be a mere knowledge transfer mechanism. It should be a platform for dialogue and discussion where students can critically engage with existing research, build upon the work of previous generations, and develop their own innovative ideas.
Strength of our graduate school
Our department offers world-class research and education in four areas: data science, computational science, information security, and health and medical sciences. We have a distinguished faculty with outstanding research activities in these fields. Additionally, our students have exceptional access to university supercomputers and the RIKEN "Fugaku" supercomputer through our proximity to the Information Science Campus. This unique environment, combined with our exceptional faculty, sets our department apart from others.
To conclude
For more information, please visit our website or download our brochure. We look forward to welcoming prospective students and promoting collaborative research.
A recent conversation with a graduate student made me ponder the role of graduate education in the age of AI. The student remarked on the abundance of online lectures from prestigious universities like Stanford and Cambridge available on YouTube, and the convenience of AI-powered tools for programming and writing. While the student did not explicitly question the need for graduate school, their comment sparked a reflection on the true purpose of graduate education.
Beyond Knowledge Transfer and Skill Acquisition
In recent years, the advancement of online lectures and AI tools is astonishing. However, the true value of graduate education goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge and skill acquisition. In an era saturated with information, it is more critical than ever to cultivate individuals who can think independently, and create new knowledge.
The Importance of Dialogue and Discussion
While online lectures offer convenience, they lack the interactive nature of real-time lectures, which is crucial for fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In-depth discussions are essential for pinning down research questions, finding truly unsolved problems, and seeking for hints. These can only be achieved through dialogue and interaction with faculty and peers.
Fostering True Creativity
AI excels at combining existing knowledge, but true creativity remains a uniquely human trait. The ability to generate original ideas and create new value is highly sought after in all fields. Breakthroughs often stem from unexpected combinations of seemingly unrelated disciplines. In addition, humans can have deep interest and surprise with emotion in doing research activities.
A Space for Critical Thinking and Dialogue
Therefore, graduate education should not be a mere knowledge transfer mechanism. It should be a platform for dialogue and discussion where students can critically engage with existing research, build upon the work of previous generations, and develop their own innovative ideas.
Strength of our graduate school
Our department offers world-class research and education in four areas: data science, computational science, information security, and health and medical sciences. We have a distinguished faculty with outstanding research activities in these fields. Additionally, our students have exceptional access to university supercomputers and the RIKEN "Fugaku" supercomputer through our proximity to the Information Science Campus. This unique environment, combined with our exceptional faculty, sets our department apart from others.
To conclude
For more information, please visit our website or download our brochure. We look forward to welcoming prospective students and promoting collaborative research.
Yoshi FUJIWARA
Dean, Graduate School of Information Science
