Let me explain. If you still believe that the definition of a smart person is someone who gets all the points in math in school and can recite definitions from a textbook by heart, I have bad news for you. That train derailed a long time ago.
Slovenia has, hand on heart, a fetish for averages and "hard work". The school system is a factory for the production of obedient biological calculators. But, my dears, solving technical problems and following instructions has become a commodity. Raw material. Cheap goods. This today artificial intelligence (AI) makes it faster, cheaper and without that typical Slovenian coffee break. If your only quality is being diligent and coloring within the lines, the algorithm will run you over.
But who are the winners of this new era?
Look in the back row. That's where teachers always sent those who were "disruptive." I'm talking about those "problem" kids. Those labeled ADHD, those who are rebellious, those who are called "special" or who are simply too distracted to listen to a dry explanation. Those with a decision.
These kids are the gold of our society. They are the X-Men of the new generation. Why? Because their brains don't work linearly. Because they don't just see point A and point B, but they see a whole alphabet of possibilities in between that the "hard-working" ones overlook. While the honor students learn the system by heart, these "rebels" hack the system. They look for shortcuts. They look beyond. They have focus and passion.
The irony of fate is complete: These kids will never excel on standardized tests. They might even fail. But standardized tests are designed for standardized people - for a world that no longer exists. These tests measure how good a robot you are. And that's no longer enough.
These "displaced" individuals, however, have something that the machine does not have: chaos in the head that gives birth to innovation. They have intuition. They have the ability to see a pattern in nonsense. They have their own madness and obsession.
The world of the future doesn't need people who can repeat after the teacher. It needs those who dare to tell the teacher: "That doesn't make sense, let's try something different." It needs those who can look beyond. Behind classic solutions. Around the corner of the future.
Therefore, dear parents and especially teachers: The next time your child looks out the window instead of at the blackboard, don't correct them. They may be building a world-changing solution in their head.
Let the “special” be special. Give them space. Don’t limit their growth. They – only they – are the true human potential in the age of AI.
Because in the world of artificial intelligence, these are exactly the »system errors"Our only real advantage. Everything else is automation."
