IDEaS + AI-ALOE Distinguished Lecture: AI and Lifelong Learning: Building the 60-Year Curriculum for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

Digital technologies are reshaping our work and our lives at unprecedented speed. This presentation examines three forces driving this Fourth Industrial Revolution: exponentiality, convergence, and ubiquity, and their implications for higher education and adult learning. Dr. Schatz explores critical questions: How do we leverage AI-enabled personalization to support careers when 40% of worker skills become obsolete every five years? How do we design learning ecosystems that scale adaptive support across institutional boundaries? How do we use data to inform lifelong learning while respecting individuals’ data sovereignty? Drawing on cognitive science and learning engineering research, this presentation offers actionable strategies for implementing AI-augmented adult learning systems that move from pilot projects to institutional practice.

Biosketch

Sae (pronounced like “say”) works at the intersection of cognition, technology, and data. She specializes in bridging the gap between scientific principles and human-centered practice, and her unique approach to “strategic storytelling” (translating complex topics into memorable messages) has garnered professional awards and seen her work translated into multiple languages. 

In 2023, Sae launched the Knowledge Forge LLC, a boutique consultancy offering keynotes, professional development workshops, and strategic services. Her clients include government agencies, academic institutions, and businesses. Recently, for example, she delivered keynotes at the UK Special Forces Club (Knightsbridge), Prometric board meeting, and Innovations in Testing annual conference. She’s published works in TD Magazine, Defense Dossier, and the Journal of Military Learning, and she helped to produce the Learning Engineering Toolkit (2022), authored Engines of Engagement: A Curious Book About Generative AI (2023), and contributed to the U.S. National Academies’ report on Adult Learning in the Military Context (2024). 

From 2015 to 2022, Sae served as the director of the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, a U.S. Department of Defense program for research, development, and policy stewardship. She also co-chaired the NATO Training Group (NTG) Individual Training and Educational Developments task group. Under her leadership, the U.S. ADL Initiative sparked the international community’s pursuit of the lifelong “digital learning ecosystem,” in part with her popular book Modernizing Learning: Building the Future Learning Ecosystem. Her efforts were also formally recognized as “a pathfinder for enterprise data services” by then–DoD Chief Data Officer David L. Spirk. 

Before joining the civil service, Sae worked as an applied human-systems scientist in both business and academia. From 2011 to 2014, she was the chief scientist at MESH Solutions (a defense contractor), where she led the U.S. Marine Corps’ Making Good Instructors Great project and the U.S. Joint Staff’s award-winning Blended Learning–Training effort. Prior to that, she held an assistant professorship with the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation and Training. Sae is a prolific writer and professional presenter as well as a graphic designer who often uses those skills to enhance books, presentations, and infographics. 

She holds a doctorate in Modeling and Simulation (M&S), with an emphasis on human systems.