ORIGINS
CHALLENGES
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
TRANSFORMATIONS
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
BIG PICTURE
Everyone’s talking about AI, captivated by its promises and potential. But the true story of how we got here stretches back further than the rise of algorithms and machine learning.
It starts with a simple question: How did we use to learn? There was a time when universities represented the pinnacle of knowledge. They held the keys to the world’s most advanced ideas, and only those who gained entry could access this trove through professors and mentors. This exclusive, structured transfer of knowledge was the bedrock of the traditional master-student dynamic—a slow but effective process of guided learning.
Then the internet happened.
Suddenly, access to information was no longer a privilege but a given. Practically overnight, everyone could tap into the entire world’s knowledge from any device, at any time. This seemed like a triumph—a new age of learning. But as access increased, something curious happened: actual learning skills began to decline.
With endless content at our fingertips, we’re in a constant state of zero-friction, high-speed information consumption. It’s a Netflix effect: when everything is available, the effort to choose—to truly engage and learn—becomes daunting. We end up skimming rather than studying, distracted rather than dedicated, outsourcing our thinking to search engines. And as attention spans shrink, study skills suffer alongside them.
The pandemic accelerated this shift, and now, AI is pouring fuel on the fire. People feel informed because they’re consuming content all the time, but that’s not the same as learning. Many believe they don’t even need higher education, convinced they can find everything online. And those who do pursue degrees often approach lectures passively, distracted by the same devices they use to access information.
The problem is profound. The value of knowledge has eroded even as tuition costs have skyrocketed, and educational institutions are lowering standards, pushing students to do the bare minimum. Now, instead of fostering critical thinkers and lifelong learners, we’re incentivising memorisation for tests, and little more.
It’s a system that leaves graduates unprepared for the complexities of the modern world. This trajectory has serious consequences, not just for students but for society at large. If we don’t address this issue—if we don’t find a way to teach real learning skills in the information age—our collective future will be less resilient, less innovative, and ultimately, less equipped to face the challenges ahead. It’s time to rethink how we educate, before it’s too late.
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
"Picking my favorite experience from an event was tough, as I’ve been attending science fiction conventions since the early ‘80s. But if I had to choose, my favorite moment was actually quite recent -- the surprise John Williams Star Wars concert hosted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando in 2017, which closed out the 40th anniversary panel.
I’d seen Williams in concert before, but not one dedicated exclusively to Star Wars, and certainly not one that was totally unexpected. When the lights came up following the Carrie Fisher tribute, I was absolutely floored to discover that Williams was actually on stage to lead the symphony (my in-the-know Lucasfilm colleagues had held the secret very close).
His opening with his classic “Princess Leia’s Theme” (my favorite of the entire saga) made this a home run of a Celebration experience, and one of the most emotionally poignant for me." - Pete Vilmur (Senior Writer, Lucasfilm Publicity)
Everyone’s talking about AI, captivated by its promises and potential. But the true story of how we got here stretches back further than the rise of algorithms and machine learning.
It starts with a simple question: How did we use to learn? There was a time when universities represented the pinnacle of knowledge. They held the keys to the world’s most advanced ideas, and only those who gained entry could access this trove through professors and mentors. This exclusive, structured transfer of knowledge was the bedrock of the traditional master-student dynamic—a slow but effective process of guided learning.
Then the internet happened.
Suddenly, access to information was no longer a privilege but a given. Practically overnight, everyone could tap into the entire world’s knowledge from any device, at any time. This seemed like a triumph—a new age of learning. But as access increased, something curious happened: actual learning skills began to decline.
With endless content at our fingertips, we’re in a constant state of zero-friction, high-speed information consumption. It’s a Netflix effect: when everything is available, the effort to choose—to truly engage and learn—becomes daunting. We end up skimming rather than studying, distracted rather than dedicated, outsourcing our thinking to search engines. And as attention spans shrink, study skills suffer alongside them.
The pandemic accelerated this shift, and now, AI is pouring fuel on the fire. People feel informed because they’re consuming content all the time, but that’s not the same as learning. Many believe they don’t even need higher education, convinced they can find everything online. And those who do pursue degrees often approach lectures passively, distracted by the same devices they use to access information.
The problem is profound. The value of knowledge has eroded even as tuition costs have skyrocketed, and educational institutions are lowering standards, pushing students to do the bare minimum. Now, instead of fostering critical thinkers and lifelong learners, we’re incentivising memorisation for tests, and little more.
It’s a system that leaves graduates unprepared for the complexities of the modern world. This trajectory has serious consequences, not just for students but for society at large. If we don’t address this issue—if we don’t find a way to teach real learning skills in the information age—our collective future will be less resilient, less innovative, and ultimately, less equipped to face the challenges ahead. It’s time to rethink how we educate, before it’s too late.
Once upon a time, universities were the pinnacle of knowledge transfer, holding the keys to the world's greatest insights. Knowledge was scarce, and access was tightly controlled.
Students would sit at the feet of experts, absorbing their teachings, with universities acting as custodians of a time-honoured master-student dynamic.
Then, almost overnight, the internet shattered that paradigm. Now, the entirety of the world’s knowledge is just a few keystrokes away. This should have been a golden age of learning—a time when anyone could educate themselves to incredible heights. But instead, we've landed in a paradox: more access to information than ever before, yet a decline in real learning.
The explosion of information has created a deluge. The sheer volume of noise and content has made it nearly impossible for most people to discern what’s valuable, relevant, or even true. It’s like a Netflix effect: when everything is available, making a meaningful choice becomes a monumental challenge. The result is paralysis, procrastination, and endless distractions.
Compounding this is the fact that we’ve outsourced much of our thinking. Search engines and AI tools promise easy answers, but they rarely equip us with the skills to truly process, analyse, or retain knowledge.
People consume information, mistake familiarity with learning, and are left with fleeting impressions instead of deep understanding. Online “learning" platforms often exacerbate this issue, delivering quick-fix solutions that fail to engage learners in meaningful ways. The pandemic accelerated these trends, and now, AI is amplifying them further.
Attention spans are dwindling, and traditional study skills are eroding. Many students arrive at university disengaged, passive, or struggling to focus. They’re often unfairly labelled as lazy or entitled, yet they’re navigating a world fundamentally different from the one their predecessors knew.
A degree, once seen as the golden ticket to opportunity, is increasingly viewed as optional—or even unnecessary—because people believe they can find everything they need online.
But this illusion of learning comes at a high cost. Standards in education are slipping as institutions incentivise minimal effort just to meet metrics. Graduates may leave with a piece of paper, but many lack the critical thinking skills or deep understanding needed for the future.
And this failure to equip people for real learning has profound societal implications. Without addressing this now, we risk creating generations unprepared for the challenges ahead, with knock-on effects that will ripple through every part of society.
The illusion is seductive, but it’s a trap. True learning takes effort, focus, and the right support. If we want to change the trajectory, we must start by seeing through the illusion and reimagining what learning can and should be.
The time to act is now.
BRAND-BUILDERS
