By 2050, artificial intelligence is expected to transform education in ways that could make today’s classroom model seem outdated, according to Howard Gardner, the psychologist who developed the theory of multiple intelligences, and Anthea Roberts, a visiting professor at Harvard Law School and founder of the AI tool Dragonfly Thinking. Speaking at a forum titled “Thinking in an AI-Augmented World” hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Gardner described AI as a revolutionary force in education—comparable to the impact of the printing press or the Industrial Revolution. He argued that the traditional model of mass education, where all students follow the same curriculum and are assessed identically, will likely be seen as obsolete. Gardner envisions a future where students spend only a few years mastering foundational skills—reading, writing, arithmetic, and basic coding—before transitioning into a more personalized, mentor-driven system. Teachers would act more as coaches, guiding students through intellectually challenging experiences and helping them discover careers aligned with their passions. “I don’t think going to school for 10 or 15 years as we’ve done it makes sense anymore,” he said. Roberts offered a complementary vision: in an AI-augmented world, the role of the learner will shift from being a knowledge producer to becoming an orchestrator of AI tools. “You become the director of the actor, the coach of the athlete, and the editor of the writer,” she explained. This demands strong higher-order thinking skills—such as judgment, strategic planning, and ethical reasoning—rather than rote knowledge acquisition. Gardner reflected on how AI is reshaping his own theories. His earlier work identified five key minds for the future: the disciplined mind (mastery of core subjects), the synthesizing mind (connecting ideas), the creative mind (generating original, impactful work), and the respectful and ethical minds (navigating human relationships and societal challenges). He now believes that AI will likely take over the cognitive tasks associated with the first three. “Most aspects of the disciplined, synthesizing, and creative minds will be done so well by AI that doing them ourselves will become optional,” he said. However, he stressed that the respectful and ethical minds—central to human interaction and moral decision-making—cannot and should not be replaced by machines. “We still need humans to handle how we treat one another and how we confront complex ethical dilemmas,” he emphasized. Both speakers acknowledged concerns that overreliance on AI could weaken critical thinking. Roberts admitted that cognitive offloading is inevitable, but argued that the real challenge lies in fostering cognitive expansion—using AI to enhance, rather than replace, human thought. “There isn’t a clear answer yet,” she said, “but our duty as educators and individuals is to focus on how we can grow through AI, not just depend on it.” Roberts shared her personal journey, revealing that after a colleague created an AI version of herself, she began integrating large language models like Gemini, GPT, and Claude into her academic work. She now constantly engages in multi-agent dialogues, using AI to refine ideas, challenge assumptions, and generate insights—demonstrating how deeply AI is already reshaping intellectual work. Together, Gardner and Roberts paint a picture of education in 2050 not as a place of passive learning, but as a dynamic space where human potential is amplified by intelligent machines—provided we guide the shift with wisdom, ethics, and intention.