Vygotsky, language, intelligence and AI
Vygotsky is an oft-quoted but rarely read learning theorist. Let me start by saying I am not a social constructivist but in using ChatGPT3.5...
Ultimately the strength of Vygotsky’s learning theory stands or falls on the idea that learning is fundamentally a socially mediated and constructed activity. Psychology becomes sociology as all psychological phenomena are seen as social constructs. Vygotsky's theory does not propose distinct developmental stages, like Piaget, but instead emphasizes the role of social interaction and cultural context in cognitive development. He believed that social interaction plays a critical role in children's cognitive development and argued that children learn through interactions with more knowledgeable individuals, who provide guidance and support. Generative AIThis is exactly what ChatGPT4 does, in general, but also in a more formal teaching experiences as in Khan Academies implementation, Duolingo and other second level implementations of Generative AI. It provides the ‘knowledgeable other’. In fact, this ‘knowledgeable other’ is better than any one teacher as it covers all subjects, at different levels, personalised, is available 365/24/7, is endlessly patient, polite, encouraging and friendly.
Language shapes thought and therefore is intelligence. Both Wittgenstein and Vygotsky had this insight, that language is not an emergent quality of intelligence but is intelligence itself. This explains what LLMs are so powerful. Intelligence is embodied in language and we learn from language. If they are right, generative AI, using written or spoken language will prove to be the most powerful form of learning technology we have ever seen, as they are congruent with how we learn.
