If anything, the buzz over AI in the field of lifelong learning programming is growing. Bold new predictions about AI’s use for programs were announced by Dan Belhassen, North America’s guru on etools.
An annual conference hit for over ten years, Belhassen made these remarks and predictions at this year’s conference. The 5 most notable comments that stood out about the state of AI now.
All software is being transformed
“All software is being transformed by AI,” noted Belhassen, the founder and CEO of Neovation in Winnipeg. “People will stop talking about ‘AI’ at some point soon, because
AI will be everywhere.”
AI is neither all-good nor all-bad
We should not fear AI being all-bad or being destructive. Likewise, we should not see AI as all-good. AI is a tool, like the telephone and the printing of books. There will be positive and negatives, just like with any tool. And how humans design and regulate AI will shape much of its usefulness.
AI preferred for customer service
“We are at the beginning of people actually preferring AI for customer service,” Belhassen predicted. “Right now, when we get an automated customer service agent we scream ‘Real person!.’ But AI will dramatically increase its capabilities to respond to a variety of questions and issues. People will actually prefer AI for customer service, and only if that AI interaction does not satisfy the customer will they be asking for a human,” Belhassen forecast.
School Essays May Change
The top rated question from attendees for Belhassen was, “Is there any way to know if a person is using AI? Is there a way to prove it?”
It is impossible, or almost impossible, for someone to know if text is AI or written by a person was Belhassen’s reply. With regard to school and college essays, educational institutions may have to change their approach on the use of essays to measure learning and knowledge, he said.
Concern Over AI Ethics
The second top rated question from attendees was “Are you concerned about the ethics of AI?”
Belhassen replied, “I am not an ethics authority. But I do know when something is inevitable. The Genie’s out of the bottle on AI. We will not be going back.”
“With respect to the ethics of AI, there will be a court ruling on this in 2025. It is a fascinating time to be alive,” he concluded.
Dan Belhassen’s session, with information not available anywhere else, was both highly attended and highly rated. He will be asked for his analysis for 2026 at the next LERN Conference November 17-20, 2025.
