Meaningful Education in the Age of the AI Revolution
- Tomer Samarkandi
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
By Tomer Samarkandi, CEO of Village Way Educational Initiatives
This article was originally published in Hebrew at https://www.zman.co.il/570755/
The Israeli education system is facing an unprecedented challenge: the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is already here, and new tools are fundamentally reshaping how students approach learning, process knowledge, and complete assignments. Educators must prepare and adapt to this new reality.
An Opportunity or a Threat?
Dr. Anat Balint, currently teaching at the University of Arizona, describes the frustration of professors discovering that students use AI to complete assignments—often without disclosure. The result is "polished yet shallow texts," indicative of a superficial learning process.
In an era where AI can generate convincing content, there is a growing concern that students will become accustomed to receiving ready-made answers, bypassing the development of critical thinking, argumentation skills, creativity, cognitive challenges, and even basic information retrieval abilities. The implications for society and academia are clear: generations of students who struggle to read critically, reason independently, analyze, and form personal perspectives on complex issues.
Renowned philosopher and educator Dr. Shimon Azulay wrote:
"The essence of humanity is our ability to create something new and to start anew. Authenticity is what makes humanity a beautiful, diverse, and fertile playground of ideas. But authenticity requires effort: every person has a unique and singular voice, but it takes time and courage to discover, refine, and learn not to fear it. For the first time, something is competing with humans in generating ideas—and it intends to win, consuming everyone who relies on it. Greed, convenience, laziness, and temptation will leave behind a scorched humanity."
It is hard not to share the concern that, for the first time, technological advancement may not propel humanity forward but instead lead to massive intellectual and cognitive regression.
Amid these concerns, and because of them, the Israeli Ministry of Education has recently proposed a new policy for integrating AI into education, emphasizing responsible use and the thoughtful incorporation of digital tools in teaching.
Yet, there is concern that focusing solely on technology does not address the emotional and moral deficits that arise. Viktor Frankl taught us that humans search for meaning. The biggest fear is that at a stage when young people should be questioning, exploring, and searching for answers that give their lives meaning, they will instead outsource this process—handing over their emotional and intellectual development to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and their AI counterparts.
A Holistic Approach to Education in Response to Future Challenges
In this reality, a holistic education model is required—one that fosters a meaningful community, promotes a positive personal narrative, shapes an empowering vision for the future, connects students to their physical and social environment, and nurtures individuals with a deep sense of belonging and purpose.
Unlike an educational model focused solely on intellectual and academic achievements—an area AI will likely continue to refine—we need a system that integrates social and emotional learning as an essential part of youth development.
To not only sound alarm bells but also offer solutions, here are key points that should be considered when integrating AI into education:
Critical learning about AI—understanding its limitations and shortcomings.
Preserving assignments that require students to seek meaning and demonstrate creativity.
Strengthening interpersonal connections through open, non-digital dialogue.
Creating opportunities for experiences tied to students' inner and cultural worlds.
Encouraging due diligence, transparency and responsible AI use
History teaches us that technological revolutions cannot be stopped, but the future of education depends on how we integrate AI without compromising students’ core values and fundamental skills. The way forward is not through surrendering to machines but by strengthening our humanity—creating deeply meaningful education and preparing students for a world where their unique thinking holds value, precisely in an era where machines are learning to think.