When Your Inbox of Social Media Feed Is Flooded with AI Consultant Sales Pitches, A Bit of Skepticism Is In Order

I’ve been noticing a flood of AI consultant sales pitches on LinkedIn.

Here is one typical AI consultant's sales pitch to educational leaders: "Students are already using AI. Teachers are already using AI. Therefore, you need help and guidance on establishing control of the situation. I have consulting services to sell you." (The last sentence is mostly unsaid of course.)

First of all, set aside the false "everybody is using AI statements." They have no way of knowing that. They don't know your teachers, your students. Besides, there are certainly both students and teachers not using AI. They are using a huge generalization to try to short-circuit any objections and misgivings you might have about AI and pre-empting discussion about their generalizations. It's the classic set up to "generate a need" for their consulting services and at the same disarm any first layer objections. Call them on their “truth” and you will find no support.

Truth is, these AI consultants-sales people also want to activate within you a bit of “technological-feeling-behindness” and a dose of “inevitability.” If you are behind, something bad is going happen, and if it is inevitable, you can’t do anything about it. Once these are established, you NEED their consulting and services, and if you don’t bad things are going to happen.

Secondly my question is it really education’s job to teach AI use? If they are already using it, then it is apparent they do not need our help with that. If it is to teach everyone how to use AI correctly, then is that really the educational institution’s responsibility? Is it an educator’s job to teach students and teachers how to be “good little consumers of this product”? I think a good argument can be made that the answer is no.

I have to wonder if the real goal behind all this is forcing everyone to accept and use AI. 

Ultimately, I accept that the AI consultant is trying to sell her/his services, but  before any of a school’s very limited budget is spent on these services, remember to question the sales rhetoric and recognize when they use marketing tactics to get you to purchase those services.

There is no urgency that would facilitate the need to spend money just to say you are doing something with AI.