Humans > GenAI or “GenAI is not what you think it is”

The workshop aims to be a fun and creative way to explore the fundamental qualities of ‘humanness’ that differentiate us from GenAI. Harnessing the power of visual thinking, we will (re)discover in this workshop what fascinates us about our subject, what drives our passion, and how we can inspire that same enthusiasm in our students. The session is shaped by Hirschauer’s ‘Theory of Human Differentiation’ (2023) applied to GenAI. This framework is useful in exploring that while GenAI can mimic aspects of human cognition and behaviour, it fundamentally lacks the depth of human existence. GenAI remains a tool, whereas we, as humans, are meaning-makers, creators, moral agents, and capable of being passionate about our subject. We will engage in several drawing activities, grounded in two key principles: 1) everyone can draw, and 2) drawing is a powerful tool for thinking (Tversky, 2011). Unlike spoken words, visual representations externalise thought and make abstract ideas tangible. By mapping concepts onto a visual format we gain new insights and engage more deeply - and all we need to do so are 5 symbols: dot, line, square, circle, triangle.