Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Will the term "teacher" start to sunset?



"They will be able to cook, clean, garden, converse and - teach. Teach and tutor. And according to Musk, these humanoids will know your child's learning style and adapt the teaching to fit it. In fact, teachers might very soon become a thing of the past. No more teacher unions, no more schoolteachers."


The couple who camps next to us at the RV park is a nice young couple. When we met them, the woman told us she was a teacher by trade. My wife responded by saying she was a retired teacher. Her response? "We have to talk sometime soon. I would like to know what teaching was like before it became a total s**t show". I thought wow! She has at least 25 years to go before retirement. Is it really that bad now? 

Maybe it is. We know other teachers who are still working who give similar stories. But many don't know the worst of it as yet. I saw an interview with Elon Musk the other day, and he was talking about his new Optimus humanoid robot. He was almost giddy. He said this humanoid would do just about everything around the house and yard. And when is the Optimus Gen 3 going to be available for private purchase? 2026, as the humanoids in 2025 will be used by Tesla Musk's factories.

Musk's dream is to have millions of these humanoids (priced no more than $20,000/each) on the market and in houses by the end of the decade. They will be able to cook, clean, garden, converse and - teach. Teach and tutor. And according to Musk, these humanoids will know your child's learning style and adapt the teaching to fit it. In fact, teachers might very soon become a thing of the past. No more teacher unions, no more schoolteachers.

Why is Elon talking so much about this humanoid which is set to hit the market sooner rather than later? Two reasons. First, the Chinese are also close to a "go to market" humanoid robot. They are aware of Musk's Optimus humanoid and want theirs out first. And have it be less expensive. Like maybe $12,000. Musk is aware of this and trying to figure out how to get Optimus down to about $10,000.

The other reason is pragmatic. Over 90% of the public has no clue as to what is coming. When these humanoids hit the market, they will hit like a bomb. People who thought Tesla was only an EV car maker, will soon find out there is so much more. It will be a shock to the marketplace unlike we have seen before.

I read an article recently penned by a lesser-known technologist. When asked how much is going to change this decade, he responded with only on word. "Everything". By the end of the decade the real question will be what has not changed. Education and learning for sure will change. Grab on to something - 2025 is just over three months away.   

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