Amidst the rise of artificial intelligence, a recent thought-provoking essay has sparked global discussion about the transformation of learning in the age of ChatGPT and similar technologies. As AI becomes deeply woven into everyday life and education, some experts warn that schools—whether intentionally or not—are acting more like vocational training grounds, emphasizing task completion through technological shortcuts rather than the cultivation of critical thinking, original expression, and holistic intellectual growth. This trend, experts suggest, may have profound implications for Thai students, educators, and society at large (Psychology Today).
In the article “A Behavioristic View of AI” by a prominent American psychologist, the discussion centers on AI’s impact on how students and adults learn, solve problems, and communicate. The author draws parallels between behaviorism—the school of psychology that studies learning through reinforcement—and the way AI reinforces behaviors not by slow cultivation of skill, but by offering instant answers and easily earned social approval. This, the author argues, can have both subtle and sweeping consequences, especially for students growing up as “digital natives.”
At first glance, Thai readers may associate vocational training with practical, job-ready skills—a valued path within Thailand’s diverse education ecosystem. However, the essay’s deeper message is a warning: when the core behaviors that schools reinforce become oriented toward getting the answer by any means (AI, templates, or tools), schools risk reinforcing shortcut-seeking and passive knowledge retrieval over independent inquiry, evaluative thinking, and authentic self-expression. “AI provides a ton of information, spoiled only by the occasional glaring error. The behavior it strengthens is asking questions of AI,” the author notes, suggesting an emerging preference for quick answers over deep searching or problem-solving.
For generations, Thai parents, much like their counterparts worldwide, have nudged children to “look it up,” fostering perseverance in finding information. Before the digital revolution, learning often involved time spent with encyclopedias, dictionaries, and the process of synthesizing disparate sources—a habit steeped in traditional Thai study methods and Buddhist values of diligent mental cultivation. Today, however, AI-powered tools can instantly provide entire essays, complete with perfect grammar and formatting, reinforcing behaviors where students submit work that is technically perfect but personally detached. As the article points out, “High school and college students are getting decent grades by handing in essays written by AI… typically avoid any personal insight. The essays are rather like greeting cards, doing the job and avoiding aversive consequences.”
Recent coverage in the Bangkok Post and other Thai media has highlighted this very phenomenon. According to Thai university lecturers, they have increasingly struggled to distinguish between authentic student voices and AI-generated content, prompting discussions about new assessment methods and the value of rote learning versus critical and creative skills (Bangkok Post). A leading education policy official in Thailand’s Ministry of Education has stated, “We must balance technology’s advantages with our cultural emphasis on metta [loving-kindness] and mindfulness. Education is not just about task completion, but lifelong growth and ethical discernment.”
Internationally, education systems are grappling with similar debates. In the United States and Europe, universities have rapidly adopted digital plagiarism detection tools, yet students and teachers alike remain caught in the tension between leveraging AI for efficiency and fostering personal growth (Nature). Research published in the journal “Computers & Education” found that while AI tools boost productivity, they can erode intrinsic motivation—the very internal drive Thai educators have long seen as essential for self-directed learning (ScienceDirect).
Behavioral science calls this trap “immediate reinforcement.” When a tool like ChatGPT instantly answers questions or composes emails, it reinforces the act of asking rather than evaluating or analyzing. Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist, once praised “the pleasure of finding things out”—a pleasure that both Thai folk wisdom and modern psychology recognize as fundamental to growth. But, as the essay’s author warns, this joy can be dulled if the labor of seeking, puzzling, and wrestling with ideas is short-circuited by technology. “The behaviors of searching for and evaluating evidence, along with thinking things through, are not reinforced by a system that just gives you the answer,” he writes.
As Thai society continues to honor its strong oral and written traditions—seen in practices from temple storytelling to khon performances and kanom songkran poetry competitions—educational leaders are now called to protect those traditions from erosion. If language and culture become primarily conduits for AI-generated responses, not only is originality threatened, but also the core emotional and ethical skills so central to Thai life. This concern echoes Buddhist teachings about authentic practice: wisdom (panya) is cultivated not by shortcuts, but by sustained mindful effort.
The essay further draws an analogy between AI and addictive substances, cautioning that “AI is like a drug, the taking of which is reinforced by feelings of peace, euphoria, transcendence, or whatever, and by the negative reinforcements of avoiding anxiety, frustration, and depression. The problem with drugs is that they provide respite but not life skills… even the ideas one has on drugs are, some report, identified not as something the user came up with but as something the drug came up with.” Translated to an educational context, this means that students may feel relief or pride in producing polished assignments, but risk losing the unique satisfaction—and skill set—of grappling with ambiguity, articulating personal viewpoints, and persevering through intellectual struggle.
However, it is important to acknowledge the positive role AI can play in democratizing access to knowledge. In Thai provinces where educational resources are limited, AI-powered tools can offer unprecedented support for students preparing for exams such as O-NET or the GAT/PAT. Teachers in remote areas have also embraced AI to produce lesson plans and supplementary materials (see Ministry of Education). Yet, as one provincial teacher explained in a recent webinar, “Technology must remain the servant, not the master. My role is to guide students to think, question, and grow—not just to finish their homework.”
Historically, Thailand’s education has prized both pragmatic and creative skills, seen in dual-track systems offering academic and vocational paths. Yet, the “vocationalization” described in the essay is not about teaching real-world trades, but about reducing education to the pursuit of efficiency and external rewards at the expense of intrinsic values. As one Thai education researcher notes, “We have always prepared students for work. But we must also prepare them to be whole persons—wise, compassionate, and engaged.”
Globally, the future of education is being hotly debated. Innovative schools are experimenting with project-based learning, peer collaboration, and reflective journaling—all strategies intended to resist an overreliance on AI and foster authentic learning (OECD). In Thailand, forward-thinking educators are piloting programs that blend traditional storytelling, hands-on projects, and responsible use of technology. At Chulalongkorn University, for example, faculty are training teachers in “AI literacy” and ethical digital pedagogy, equipping students to use AI wisely while still nurturing their own voices and values (Chulalongkorn University News).
Looking forward, the dangers of over-reliance on AI are likely to intensify—unless deliberate safeguards and new forms of assessment are developed. Experts recommend shifting educational goals from mere content mastery toward skills like metacognition, self-reflection, and creative synthesis. Some Thai educators propose reviving traditional group recitation, public storytelling, and debate, adapted to digital formats, to keep learning communal and personally meaningful. Others call for strengthening teacher-student relationships as a bulwark against alienation.
For parents, teachers, and students in Thailand today, the practical message is: use AI as a tool, not a crutch. Foster curiosity and the pleasure of discovery in everyday learning—from temple visits and family stories to student-led projects at school. Encourage children and adolescents to reflect on what they learn, articulate their own opinions, and practice explaining difficult concepts without digital help. For educators, focus on cultivating assessment environments where process and effort are valued as highly as results. Policy leaders should invest in teacher training that emphasizes ethical AI integration, creativity, and culturally rooted pedagogy.
Ultimately, the question is not whether schools should offer vocational skills—Thailand has long advanced the careers of students through such training—but whether education, as a whole, becomes “vocationalized” in the narrowest sense: efficient, impersonal, and answer-driven. If AI is to empower rather than diminish the next generation, it must remain an ally in service of distinctly human growth—intellectual, emotional, and ethical.
Sources:
- “A Behavioristic View of AI,” Psychology Today
- “Thailand Considers AI in Education,” Bangkok Post
- “Why AI detectors can be fooled, and what educators should do instead,” Nature
- “Does ChatGPT help learning or hurt it?,” Computers & Education
- Chulalongkorn University News
- Ministry of Education, Thailand
- OECD Education Policy