It is the year 2075. We are now a full century into the grand experiment once known as “educational technology.” What began as a pursuit of tools has evolved into an infrastructure for global, and increasingly interplanetary, co-learning and human flourishing.

More than any single institution, it was a 1968 demonstration by Doug Engelbart that set this transformation in motion. Engelbart didn’t just showcase early tools; he offered a framework for augmenting human intellect and solving complex challenges together. His vision of Networked Improvement Communities became the foundation for the socio-technical ecosystems we rely on today: civic, adaptive, and anchored in shared learning.

By the mid-21st century, the limits of traditional educational structures were clear. Our systems evolved. Learning moved beyond walls and timelines—into learning circles, design studios, and AI-facilitated pathways rooted in community, identity, and care. Learners no longer “graduate.” They contribute, pause, retool, and re-emerge. Belonging replaced access as the key measure of success.

AI has since become more than a tool. It is a conscience, collaborator, and catalyst. Its architectures — open, co-governed, and informed by Indigenous, neurodiverse, and global South epistemologies — are what make trust possible. Learning is now immersive and somatic. Memory palaces meet quantum sandboxes. Story meets system.