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As students return for a new school year, artificial intelligence is beginning to filter into the classroom. In at least one private school in London, a pilot group will begin studying core subjects for GCSE exams in “teacher-less” classrooms using AI-powered systems, overseen by “learning coaches.” However, the disruption of teaching by technology is not universally welcomed. In South Korea, a plan to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks The ban on smoking in schools by 2025 has sparked a backlash among cautious academics and parents.
As in other fields, AI In reality, higher education is unlikely to replace teachers any time soon – and nor should it. Research suggests that the best learning is social learning, involving interaction between teachers and students, and between students themselves. This is one reason why “massive open online courses” (web-based open access courses intended for broad participation) have failed to live up to the expectations generated around their arrival in the 2010s.
It’s unlikely that AI will ever be able to replace the judgment, motivation, guidance and pastoral care that a teacher can provide. But as students will enter AI-equipped workplaces, schools must prepare them to navigate that world, including through the way they learn. And AI offers the potential to empower teachers, giving them more time to do what they do best.
Technology can, for example, help with the hours of drudgery, sometimes unpaid, that teachers do outside the classroom. Edtech companies are already launching products that use generative AI to help teachers prepare lesson plans and presentations, and assignments for students – although, like AI elsewhere, these must be controlled to avoid “hallucinations” and bias. Increasingly sophisticated systems are also being launched that can grade tests and assignments, and even provide feedback on written work.
Educational technicians are also developing AI-powered tutors This can pave the way for giving students more individualized attention by tracking their progress and understanding and providing personalized support. South Korean digital tablets, for example, are advertised as customizable, so that both fast and slow learners can be assessed by software and given specific tasks generated by artificial intelligence. However, teachers must monitor student progress and supplement online learning sessions with plenty of class discussions and collaborative activities.
A headache for educators has been ensuring that students do not completely outsource learning to AI and use it to… They write their essays and math answers. Some schools are expanding the concept of “flipped learning” and moving away from requiring students to complete written work at home, where AI is easy to implement. Instead, homework is used to study learning materials (possibly with the help of AI) and classroom time is used to deepen and test students’ understanding through discussion, problem solving, and some supervised written work.
AI-assisted tools can make learning more efficient. They can also allow subjects to be taught in more creative ways. Students can hold conversations with avatars in foreign languages, visit the International Space Station using virtual reality headsets, or use AI software to co-create music and art.
Indeed, the arrival of AI not only in education but also in the workplace will require a rethinking of what is taught in schools and how it is taught. The instant access offered by information technology should facilitate the abandonment of rote memorization and the development of students’ ability to apply their knowledge and skills.
By making teachers more productive, AI-assisted education offers the potential to compensate for shortages of qualified staff, especially in poorer regions and countries. But to fully reap the benefits of the technology (without undermining existing educational standards), teachers, schools and governments will also need to adapt.