drpontus

Instead of only criticizing “AI” (when in fact, the commercial LLM services are really the main issue), here is a more optimistic list of things I support 💪 (followed by a list of bad smells 🦨 in AI):

I was invited to speak at The Global Education Conclave 2026, hosted by CGC University in Mohali, that gathered 120+ delegates from 60+ nations under the theme “EduVerse 2050: Rethinking Global Academia for a New Human Epoch.”

This is a written version of my main talking points, edited after the conference. The text therefore contains both the narrative of my talk, along with reflections from the actual events and meetings during these intense days in Mohali, India.

By Pontus Wärnestål

Generative AI has been deployed at scale before societies had time to understand its consequences. In only a few years, experimental models have rapidly become embedded in education, healthcare, media, public services, and daily communication. The dominating narrative calls this progress. In reality, it is a transfer of influence and control over information and decision-making to a handful of Silicon Valley-based technology companies.

Machine Learning (ML) is not something designers “add” to products. It is something products are increasingly made of. Across contemporary digital systems – productivity environments, decision-support software, operational platforms, and public-sector infrastructure –machine learning drafts content, ranks options, predicts outcomes, monitors conditions, and sometimes executes actions. These systems increasingly shape not just interfaces, but workflows, attention, responsibility, and judgment.

By Pontus Wärnestål

When we talk about “design tools,” we often mean software: Figma, Miro, prototyping platforms, and now AI-powered assistants. These tools promise efficiency and speed. But as Ivan Illich (1973) and Marshall McLuhan (1964) argue, tools are never neutral. They extend us – but also reshape us. They amplify capability – but can also amputate forms of thinking we no longer practice.

Varje stor teknologisk epok börjar med överdrivna löften, centralisering och en bubbla – och slutar med standarder, fragmentering och institutionalisering. Internet, elnätet, järnvägen och mobilnätet såg alla likadana ut i sin tidiga fas: ett fåtal dominerande aktörer, extrema värderingar och en berättelse om att just deras lösning var liktydig med framtiden.

Generativ AI säljs in som lösningen på allt från sjukvård till skolkris — men används i praktiken för att massproducera meningslöshet. Bakom löftena om innovation döljer sig en teknologi som exploaterar arbetare, utarmar kulturen, dränerar språket och centraliserar makt. Ändå vågar få säga emot — för ingen vill vara den som står i vägen för ”framtiden”. Men just därför måste vi börja ifrågasätta vad det är vi håller på att bygga. Och för vems skull.