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As the crowded auditorium came down to a simmer and introductions were made, University Professor Emeritus Dr. Geoffrey Hinton rose from his seat on the stage, raised his hands, and prepared to respond to the first question posed.

He was asked, “In 10 minutes, can you explain how the brain works?” to a sold out audience at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study (JICS) Laboratory School.

“I’m up for a challenge.”

The exchange set the tone for an evening defined by intellectual curiosity, candour, and urgency. As part of JICS’ Centennial celebrations, the panel brought together one of the world’s leading thinkers in artificial intelligence with education researchers and classroom practitioners to examine how children learn and how education must evolve in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Hinton, recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics and widely regarded as the “Godfather of AI,” was joined by Carol Stephenson, Senior Kindergarten Teacher at the JICS Lab School; Dr. Eunice Jang, Professor at OISE; and Dr. Steven Katz, Professor at OISE. The conversation was moderated by Steve Paikin, one of Canada’s most respected journalists and the longtime host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda.

The full Centennial panel conversation, moderated by Steve Paikin, is available to watch here:

For nearly a century, JICS has served as a globally recognized laboratory school, integrating research, teaching, and practice to shape how children learn and to influence education far beyond its own classrooms.

In her opening remarks, Professor Erica N. Walker, Dean of OISE, reflected on the significance of gathering such a diverse community in one room.

“Looking around this room fills me with tremendous hope for the future of education,” she said. “There are early childhood educators shaping young minds every day, researchers and innovators pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, long time supporters who have believed in education and human development for decades, and new voices ready to shape education’s next chapter.”

She emphasized that JICS has long been a place where breakthrough research meets passionate practice, sustained by a multigenerational community of educators, researchers, students, children, and families.

The classroom perspective: where AI meets early learning

Early in the discussion, Paikin posed what would become one of the evening’s defining questions: had education figured out where artificial intelligence belongs in the classroom, and where learning must remain resolutely human?

For Carol Stephenson, the answer was refreshingly candid.

“No, I don’t think anyone has,” she said. “That’s the short and honest answer.”

Stephenson noted that AI is evolving so quickly that educators are often trying to keep pace rather than stay ahead. The most important questions, she suggested, are not about prediction, but intention: how can we make AI as safe as possible, purposeful, and beneficial?

Even then, she acknowledged, education may still find itself reacting rather than leading.

“I think we’re actually behind the eight ball.”

That uncertainty was echoed by Dr. Eunice Jang, who noted that across Canada, education systems are still grappling with the absence of clear policy frameworks to guide the intentional use of AI in classrooms.

Stephenson’s reflections grounded the conversation in classroom reality, particularly in the early years.

“Learning is a relational endeavor,” she said. “The inspiration that happens when humans learn from other humans is vital.”

“Children learn from other children,” she added. “It’s glorious.”

Building on those insights, Dr. Geoffrey Hinton offered a scientific perspective on why the human dimension of learning cannot be engineered away.

“When you’re learning stuff, you’re changing these billions of connection strengths,” he explained. “You’re not implanting facts into kids’ heads.”

Learning, Hinton argued, is not the transmission of information from teacher to student, but the gradual reshaping of understanding through experience.

He also pointed to AI’s potential to support learning when used thoughtfully.

“If you’ve got an intelligence that can focus on that child, understand what that child’s thinking, and give an appropriate response,” he said, “that can expand their thinking.”

Reflecting on learner engagement, Hinton added, “When I’m interested in something, I ask the chatbot a question and it tells me the answer.”

At the same time, he cautioned against complacency as technologies evolve.

“We are creating these alien beings,” he said, “and we don’t know if we’re going to be able to control them.”

A century of leadership and a responsibility to the future

As JICS marks its Centennial year, the panel reflected more than a moment of reflection. It signalled responsibility.

For nearly 100 years, JICS has helped shape public education, advancing understanding of child development and modelling what evidence-informed learning can look like in practice. This work reflects a long-standing commitment to ensuring that educational innovation remains accountable to evidence, ethics, and the needs of children and families.

Today, as artificial intelligence reshapes how knowledge is created and shared, institutions like JICS, grounded in research, equity, and a commitment to children and communities, are uniquely positioned not only to lead, but uniquely positioned to serve the public good as education enters a period of profound change.

Convening leaders in research, practice, and public discourse is central to how JICS advances education in service of the public good.

As JICS enters its second century, its role is clear: not simply to respond to change, but to shape it, ensuring that innovation and policy influence education well beyond its own classrooms.