The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to amaze the world. It is fascinating to see how things that were unthinkable, such as humanoid robots or restaurants and hotels served by robots, are now a reality. Endless discussions have taken place to estimate to what extent robots will replace humans. The progress of AI is admirable and sometimes even intimidating. Yet, the human brain is so much more complex and adaptive to learning and social environments than a robot will ever be.
Jack Shonkoff, Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, explains that early experiences literally shape the architecture of the developing brain. Before a baby is born, human brains have the highest number of neurons that it will ever have; but few connections, or “circuits”, as they are known in neurology. Genes provide a blueprint of when the brain’s circuits are developed (i.e. the timing); but how these circuits are formed depends on the experiences a child has and the environment in which a child grows up.
According to the Center for Developing Child, “Brains are built over time, from the bottom up”. In the first years of life more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second. It is hard to imagine a machine with this level of complexity. Furthermore, in the case of humans, the conditions in which a child grows and the interactions with her surrounding adults will be a key determinant of the process of circuit formation and will have an irreversible impact on her development. This period of life creates the foundation for future learning, health, and behaviour. Just like building a house, everything is connected. The first neural connections are simple but provide the foundation to build complex circuits later.
Let’s use a specific example; how a child learns her literacy skills. The first words will be learned from her parents and surrounding adults. At this early age, without any additional intervention, the family’s education will be a determinant of the child’s vocabulary. By age three, children whose parents completed college have two to three times broader vocabulary than those kids whose parents did not complete high school. Evidence shows that children gain from having access to high-quality early childhood education and care, but this is particularly important for disadvantaged children.
What happens during the first three years of a baby’s life will have a long-lasting impact on her health, education, income, and well-being. Experts talk about this time as a window of opportunity. Numerous studies have shown evidence of the benefits of early-childhood interventions, not only for individual children, but also for the country’s economy. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist, has shown that financial returns to early years’ investments are higher in the first three years of life; after that age the returns diminish rapidly.
Given the huge impact these early years will have on outcomes well into adulthood, adequate early childhood interventions will be more effective and less costly that interventions in later stages of life. This is particularly true for children from vulnerable families. However, actual expenditure is the inverse of what the evidence suggests. According to the World Bank data for education, for countries with available data, the average expenditure on pre-primary education as a percentage of government expenditure in education is barely 5%, compared with an average 32% for primary education, 34% of secondary education and 21% of tertiary education.
If the evidence on returns to early years interventions is so compelling, why is it not happening? One hypothesis is that a shift towards early childhood would imply either an increase in expenditures, or a reallocation of resources from existing programs. Either of those options are difficult for governments to assume, especially when their time frame is biased toward actions with short-term effect. Technology could offer an opportunity to facilitate access to cheaper services and to give alternatives to traditional interventions that could reach a higher number of people. However, this will only occur if the power of technology is delivered in a way that poorer groups can also take advantage of its benefits.
Challenges imposed by new technologies only make early childhood interventions more relevant. The speed at which technology is evolving will require new and more sophisticated skills. The demand for inherently human attributes, like creativity or care for others, will be higher. The way we learn will also evolve towards a journey of permanent learning and adaptation throughout our lives. Technological change magnifies the need for early childhood interventions and makes a more urgent case, on equity and efficiency grounds, for policy to assure effective access for all.
We cannot forget that behind the wonders of artificial intelligence there are human brains creating this technology. Just imagine how things could be different if all children had access to environments that were optimal for their development, allowing them to reach all their potential.
A version of this article was originally published by IMAGO
Photo credit: Geralt on Pixabay
