AI
Crossroads: Choosing the Right Path Forward in the Age of AI
Humans still have agency over AI—if we choose to use it.
By Tenaha O’Reilly, Diego Zapata-Rivera, Caitlin Tenison, Zuowei Wang, Teresa M. Ober, and Jesse R. Sparks
Civilization is at a critical crossroad. To choose a path, we must understand our options—and prioritize our destination. Early decisions may lead us down roads that become increasingly difficult to leave or re-route the further we go.
In this article, we’ll explore key decision points—or crossroads—we may face in our journey with AI, and offer key considerations for each of those decision points.
The AI landscape is evolving rapidly. New models emerge constantly, often with limited transparency. This uncertainty can overwhelm people, businesses, and governments, leading them to delay decisions, or simply wait to see what happens. But waiting “hands over” the steering wheel to AI. Sitting at this crossroad in a “wait state” costs time and forfeits our active role in shaping the future. Choosing to act leads us to the next decision point.
Much of AI—its pace, infrastructure, and massive investment—lies beyond the reach of most educators, researchers, or citizens. But not everything is out of our hands. Educators, researchers, and citizens can define constructs like AI literacy, demonstrate the use of AI for good, help expose bias, and show how AI can improve learning and increase efficiency. Taking the Control path helps us keep humans in the loop and maintain agency, momentum, and focus—even if the road ahead is complex.
In the past few decades, we’ve seen a shift toward a more global and unified world, with nations working together to solve shared problems. But more recently, there’s also been a rise in nationalism—where some prefer to find solutions in isolation.
AI faces a similar tension. Do we embrace AI in partnership, distributing burdens and rewards, or do we travel alone? There’s no doubt AI is a powerful tool, and gaining control over it could carry significant economic, social, and military consequences. As we navigate this decision, we need to think carefully about the long-term implications of partnering nationally and globally—or not—on AI initiatives.
The sheer realized and potential impact of this technology, and the range of disciplines and sectors it touches, suggests that collaboration gives us the best shot at shared success. It allows us to learn from each other’s experiences, establishing and following best practices, and reach our shared destination safely—with shared rewards.
AI may dominate the headlines today, but it isn’t new. Techniques like natural language processing (a foundation for AI) have been around for decades. As we define the human skills and competencies that matter in the future, we must also recognize the enduring value of existing ones—like self-regulation and critical thinking. Literacy itself has evolved across centuries, adapting to new media: from oral storytelling to print to digital. Remembering how prior constructs emerged and trickled forward helps us to build stronger, more relevant ones now.
Reflection has long been a human responsibility. Now, technology can generate answers, essays, and solutions in seconds. Although this instant output saves time and extends capabilities, it also introduces risks—like metacognitive laziness and digital amnesia. If we rely too heavily on AI, we lose opportunities for deep thinking and growth. This crossroad determines whether we remain active agents or become passive dependents in a world shaped by algorithms.
AI often produces confident, convincing text—even when it’s wrong. These hallucinations and biases can go unnoticed, especially by users without expertise or time to verify the information. The danger lies in blindly accepting output without scrutiny. Critical thinking may be slower and more effortful, but it guards against misinformation and keeps us from arriving at “Mistakeland.” It also reinforces self-regulation, metacognition, and agency.
Learners have different knowledge and experiences that affect how they learn new things. While traditional instruction and assessment often use a one-size-fits-all approach, AI makes personalization possible—creating materials tailored to interests, skill levels, and knowledge gaps. Personalization can extend a learner’s zone of proximal development and support more progress for all. Standardization may be easier, but personalization offers a path for more travelers to succeed.
AI can help us paraphrase, summarize, organize, and plan—freeing time for deeper pursuits. Those who learn to use these tools correctly and effectively will move faster and more efficiently. Those who use them inappropriately may fall behind, widening a “digital AI divide” that reflects not just access, but potentially slower development of AI skill as well as other skills learned through AI. Saving and banking time now means gaining more time for the meaningful work ahead.
Creativity is one of humanity’s greatest assets. Some people prefer to follow directions; others forge new roads entirely. AI can support or suppress this instinct. Over-reliance on AI can reduce our problem-solving agency. But, when used responsibly, AI can boost creativity—by clarifying goals, connecting ideas, and discovering new applications. Innovation is a moving target. Creativity is necessary for driving innovation on the go.
When you make wise decisions and arrive at your destination after navigating these crossroads, you are likely to feel empowered—because you set your own goals, made adjustments along the way, and got there safely. There are surely complexities and challenges that have and will continue to arise as AI expands across and in our lives, but taking ownership in your life and learning, especially as we traverse these new lands, can help build a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
This final crossroad invites us to reflect on what it means to be human and what we each have to offer.
Making wise choices at each of these crossroads will help ensure we arrive at our future destination not just intact—but empowered.
The choices we make today will shape the world we live in tomorrow. While the road ahead with AI is complex, it’s also full of promise. If we approach these crossroads with intention—acting rather than reacting, collaborating rather than competing, thinking critically, and staying true to human values—we can build a future where AI supports and empowers us all. The path may not be easy, but it is still ours to choose.
As Robert Frost wrote in his 1916 poem “The Road Not Taken”:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Disclaimer: This journey was not planned, written, nor revised with any travel advice from AI.
Managing Principal Research Scientist Tenaha O’Reilly’s work with AI researchers across departments at ETS includes collaborations with Distinguished Presidential Appointee Diego Zapata-Rivera, Research Scientists Zuowei Wang, Caitlin Tenison, Teresa M. Ober; and Managing Senior Research Scientist Jesse R. Sparks.