Changing the AI conversation in adult education

Ask anyone about artificial intelligence, and chances are you’ll hear one of two things: it’s going to save the world or it’s going to steal your job. 

Leslie Cordie, an associate professor of adult education within the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology, says both conversations are missing the point. 

“The real conversation isn’t whether AI is coming,” Cordie said. “It’s already here.” 

For Cordie, AI isn’t something people should fear or avoid; it’s something they should learn to understand.  

Whether she’s leading discussions in workforce development, experiential learning or comparative international education, Cordie encourages students to think beyond memorizing information. Learning, according to Cordie, happens through curiosity, conversation and experience. 

“Students bring something to the table,” Cordie said. “I learn from them just as they learn from me.” 

That belief has naturally carried over into how she approaches artificial intelligence. Rather than banning AI or treating it as a shortcut, Cordie asks students to experiment with it, question its answers and think critically about what it produces. She wants them to understand not only what AI can do, but what it can’t. 

“You have to use it,” she said. “You have to educate yourself.” 

Cordie follows that same advice. She regularly uses AI to brainstorm research ideas, redesign course materials, create grading rubrics and identify journals for future publications.  

Instead of replacing her expertise, she said, the technology gives her more time to focus on what matters most: meaningful conversations with students, collaboration and deeper learning. 

“It’s making me a better educator,” Cordie said. 

That mindset eventually grew into an international research project. 

Cordie recently co-edited “Navigating the AI Frontier in Adult Education,” an open-access book built on a survey of 1,947 educators, trainers and consultants across 36 countries administered by Singapore’s Institute for Adult Learning.  

The purpose? Understanding how AI is reshaping teaching, learning and workforce development. The results? Surprising.   

Instead of alarm, there was optimism. 

Educators around the world largely viewed AI as a tool that could improve teaching, reduce repetitive tasks and create new opportunities for learning. Their biggest concern wasn’t adopting technology — it was receiving enough guidance and institutional support to use it well. 

For Cordie, that finding reinforced something she had believed for years: that adult education isn’t confined to a classroom. It can be through conversations, videos, new careers, unexpected challenges — and, now, artificial intelligence.  

As workplaces continue evolving, she believes the ability to keep learning may become more valuable than any single skill. She already sees AI helping students prepare for interviews, organize research, strengthen presentations and develop ideas. When used thoughtfully, it doesn’t replace critical thinking. If anything, Cordie said, it creates more opportunities to practice it. 

Looking ahead, she imagines classrooms becoming more interactive. Students may one day hold conversations with AI-generated historical figures, create personalized learning experiences or collaborate with technology in ways that don’t yet exist. 

But, Cordie says, though technology changes, one thing won’t. 

“The learner will always bring something to the table.”