Neuroscientist Shares Tips With Parents To Raise "Robot-Proof" Children

Vivienne Ming, a US-based neuroscientist and entrepreneur, said today's education system is not preparing children for the future shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). In a recent CNBC article, she argued that many schools still focus on memorisation and test scores. These are skills that AI can already perform quickly and efficiently.

Ming has shared three tips with the parents, if they want their "children to have an advantage later in life" and also revealed "how to raise them to be robot-proof".

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The "Failure Resume"

In the article, she argued that "students are often the most willing to be wrong", but still the education system is obsessed with correctness, and ends up 'training this instinct out' of our children. She suggested that the parents must teach their children about failure, and it's important to accept it.

Her research, based on thousands of learners, shows that making mistakes is important for deep learning. Students who are willing to fail often develop stronger thinking skills.

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Engineer serendipity

The second point was about the "Harvard effect", which means "intentionally creating an environment that encourages unexpected connections and discoveries".

Children should explore different interests, ask questions, and work on open-ended problems. Ming believes learning should focus on building abilities, not just gaining knowledge.

'Chief AI Critic'

In the third point, she wrote that the children should use AI as a tool, not a replacement for thinking. They can use it to get feedback, but must form their own ideas first.

"I've been playing with machine learning for 30 years. But for a generation just entering a world where large learning models (LLMs) is a constant companion, the temptation to just let it do the hard work will be immense," she wrote.