​Digital Sugar Rush: AI as the Refined Sweetener of Social Learning

​What do AI and refined sugar have in common and what does this mean for student learning and emotional wellbeing? The answer may life in understanding how new technologies and our evolved patterns interact. Agriculture and refining technology facilitated the concentration of our body’s natural energy source (glucose), which initially seemed like a powerful step in feeding the globe. But it came with a catch. We evolved to crave concentrated sugar because it was rare in our ancestral environments. Making it readily available at any time has fundamentally shifted the metabolic balance of humanity in ways that have had severe consequences. Similarly, the large language models that power generative AI provide us with concentrated experiences that feel social. As a social species, humans evolved for a specific balance of social feedback and interaction. Changing that balance by rapidly integrating generative AI into our everyday lives is leading to unexpected consequences when it comes to how we learn, how we balance our mental health, and how we broadly seek wellness. This talk will explore these consequences and their impact on the experiences of modern students, while also providing practical strategies for minimizing the negative impacts and shaping more positive ones. 

Dr. M.C. Flux

Dr. M. C. Flux is a researcher, educator, and artist with a multidisciplinary background. He earned a joint Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2022 and currently teaches there with the Psychology Department and Continuing Education. His research and academic interests have lately focused on innovative video pedagogy, understanding the impact of modern AI systems on education and mental health, and applying harm reduction principles to the way we engage with technology. Other work includes holistic understandings of mental health (such as integrating the immune system and microbiome), novel therapeutics to promote human thriving (including Floatation-REST and psychedelics), and using the scientific study of human emotion to shape resilience-building interventions. His diverse artistic history, which informs his educational endeavors, has included work as a nightlife performer in NYC, a makeup artist, body painter, and work in several visual/graphic mediums. He works to combine his many passions into engaging, educational content that hopefully motivates deeper thinking about the world.