Today, many sectors have been impacted by AI and one of those sectors is education, as AI is increasingly being employed by educators to optimise teaching and learning processes.
A recent article showing the increasing role of AI in education caught the public’s attention.
AI teacher in the UK
In September 2024, Sky News reported that a London private school announced that it would introduce the UK’s first classroom with an AI teacher in place of a human.
David Game College is set to give the green light to a fully AI-taught GCSE course in September. The course is planned to progress with a combination of AI platforms and virtual reality headsets. The AI platforms analyse students’ learning and figure out the areas where they have learned well and those they are having problems with. The AI then creates a personalised plan for optimised learning.
The school also divulged that students will not be left alone with AI to learn as three human teachers, or “learning coaches”, will be there to observe student behaviour and help where necessary. The coaches will also cover topics like art that AI cannot yet teach.
How can AI help in education?
GlobalData highlights that the education sector in general believes that AI can hone and transform teaching and increase customisation. The automation capabilities of AI also promise to make the teaching process cheaper for academic institutions.
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By GlobalDataSome other use cases of generative AI in education include designing and organising course materials, syllabuses, lesson plans, and assessments. The technology can also create teaching materials like quizzes, prepare summaries and explanations, and increase student engagement in learning.
The use of sophisticated AI in education has been reported before. In 2023, a preparatory school in the UK even went as far as hiring an AI principal to aid its human equivalent and help hone decision-making.
Some argue against the reduction of the human factor in education
However, not everyone is convinced that AI will have a positive impact on education.
Critics argue that AI reduces the human factor in the teaching process. For example, Sky News reported that Chris McGovern, an ex-consultant to the policy unit at 10 Downing Street and the current Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, criticised AI teachers and said that AI teaching without humans would bring a “soulless future”. Similarly, GlobalData suggests that we are nowhere close to creating machines that have sentience and emotions. This diminishing human touch in AI-led teaching might also negatively affect the learning process.
GlobalData also mentions that the use of AI in education may favour top students, increasing the gap between more and less able students. In the Future of EdTech: AI, Metaverse & New Media report, Herman Narula, from Improbable, reveals that students who have better aptitudes to use these AI tools will benefit more from the technology. In the end, with AI, trailing students may find themselves having even more trouble catching up. Educators must find the right strategy to ensure that they maximise the benefits of AI while minimising the issues.
However, the use of AI will only increase, and GlobalData reveals that AI will become a staggering $1trn market by 2030, growing remarkably from just over $100bn in 2023.
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