“Look at this baby peacock! I didn’t realize they were so beautiful!” (S. Domaas, personal communication, April 17, 2023).
My mother-in-law sent the image and words in our family group chat.
My first thought was: Oh no.
She was an elementary school educator and administrator for more than 40 years. She is intelligent, insightful, and inspiring; education is her passion. She is a true lifelong learner and is generous with her wisdom. Facebook allows her to stay connected, engaged, informed, and entertained. But, connected to what? Engaged with and informed by whom? And, in the example given, entertained by the images of a false digital world that degrades what we know and not yet know.
My second thought was: we have all been duped though, even if just for a moment.
I asked ChatGPT “how is AI like a peacock?” and they replied “AI is like a peacock because it can put on an impressive display: fluent answers, striking images, and confident explanations. But beautiful feathers don’t tell you whether a peacock is wise – and polished AI output doesn’t guarantee it’s accurate, fair, or grounded in understanding. The display can draw us in; we still need to look closely at what’s behind it.” (OpenAI, 2026). Throughout time peacocks have been admired and valued for their colourful beauty and magnificent plumage with eye-shaped markings…watching us watch it. Blink! Blink again! See the truth!
In 1623 Willam Shakespeare wrote the Tempest and in 1932 Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World and both addressed uncritical trust and ignorance in their written works:
O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world,
That has such people in ‘t! (Shakespeare, 2015, 5.1.215-218).
Alas, time marches on as we collectively learn how to decipher and decode the 4th industrial revolution while we simultaneously rocket into the 5th industrial revolution. To keep up, to stay relevant, to give our students the foundation they need to succeed, my team has been tasked to review JIBC’s law enforcement studies program to see what content might be discontinued and what content might need to be included as the evolution of the program must match real world evolution; transformation must occur so that we can see past the plumage and hype and prepare to work with AI in real world situations. To think critically about what we hear, say, and see.
What I see: A required AI course where educators, subject matter experts, agencies, facilitators and students engaged in transparent, hybrid, and interdisciplinary discourse – thinking critically, acting ethically, learning together to ensure justice (in and out of the classroom) in the age of AI.
I told my mother-in-law about my upcoming assignment and was curious what she envisioned for 2035. She said that justice is desperately needed and that nothing could replace teachers; a good teacher brings kindness, firmness, and compassionate humanity to the everyday…and a baby peacock for show and tell wouldn’t hurt either!
References
Huxley, A. (1932). Brave new world. Chatto & Windus.
OpenAI. (2026, October 12). How is AI like a peacock? [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. [https://chatgpt.com/s/t_6acda28cc0dc8191a22fb93b6cf5aed1]
Phoenix Art Museum. (2021, July 7). The symbolism of peacocks. https://phxart.org/blog/the-symbolism-of-peacocks/
Shakespeare, W. (2015, July 31). The tempest: Act 5, scene 1. Folger Shakespeare Library. https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-tempest/read/5/1/
Tara,
What a thoughtful blog post. I love how you tied the baby peacock into your thinking about AI and a future filled with transformation. AI is definitely bringing us an uncertain future. Things seem to be changing quicker than ever, but deep thinkers like you keep me hopeful that educators will continue to have a place in education in the future. Going back to the peacock, my best friend is a kindergarten teacher and often hatches chickens or ducks with her students every spring. I have been following her hatching year after year, and the excitement that spreads within her students. I’m now going to try to talk her into hatching some baby peacocks this year due to overwhelming cuteness!!
Hi Jenn, I was giddy once I latched onto the peacock theme! While on campus in April 2026 for my one and only residency, I was enchanted by the peacocks…they are truly impressive. I’ve really enjoyed my online MAIS experience so far and I’m anchored by moments of connection with people, whether it be through face-to-face residency or through Zoom, Google Docs, and blogs. It was a joy to meet and work with you. Your students are lucky to have such a cool, caring, and generous teacher. Teachers like you and your best friend who provide real and grounding moments, like watching little baby chicks and ducks being born, build a foundation of appreciation for the natural world, the wonder of new life, and the small moments that make learning memorable. Cheers to educators everywhere!!
Tara,
How do I love thee [blog post]? Let me count the ways. In an ironic turn of events, I learned from google’s AI that my words weren’t actually a play on Shakespeare as I had always thought, but a female poet with an incredibly storied life named Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I then went down a rabbit hole about her life from this site: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/elizabeth-barrett-browning
and then almost forgot what I was supposed to be doing on my computer, which was 1) replying to your blog post and 2) looking up pictures of REAL baby peacocks because I was convinced that they still must be pretty cute IRL. (Full transparency, I did not maintain the above order…)
I digress. In the above example, it makes me feel like AI can’t be all that bad, and can be the start of knowledge construction when meaningfully engaged. I love your vision of a mandatory AI course that involves collaborating across disciplines to engage in ethical and critical thinking and learning, underpinned by notions of justice.
Thank you for your post, I enjoyed it immensely.
Jenna, thanks for reading my blog! I’m glad you liked it, I enjoyed writing it. Oh, the rabbit hole, I know it well, we are cut from the same cloth, you and I. I asked ChatGPT to create a short poem abut educational technology in the style of EBB:
O lamp of thought, that glimmers through the screen,
And summons distant minds to meet as one,
You draw new pathways where no roads have been,
And lend the far-off learner light of sun.
Yet wisdom blooms not in the tool alone;
The patient hand, the questioning heart must guide.
For knowledge, like a seed, is truly grown
When human care and curious minds abide.
After emerging from the EBB rabbit hole what do you think of this poetic AI output? I wonder what Clark and Kozma would think LOL