Ultimately, I’m not sure that there’s anything computers can’t really teach you, No Priors podcasted Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn. This broad declaration captures the disruptive effect that AI is having on education, where traditional teaching is being turned on its head by the precision and scalability of AI-guided learning. Duolingo, with its 116 million monthly active learners, is a case in point, utilizing AI to customize learning experiences and precisely forecast student performance.
The ability of AI to revolutionize learning is in the ability to offer customized learning trajectories, which are not feasible for human instructors in big classes. AI systems learn from big datasets and can adjust lessons to each learner’s pace and understanding so that no one falls behind. The achievement of adaptive learning platforms in utilizing AI in boosting student participation and performance is readily certified.
But teachers’ and schools’ labor won’t be eliminated. As von Ahn suggests, you still need people to take care of the students, still requiring human touch in classrooms. Schools could be transformed into more like childcare centers, with safe spaces for children while AI can perform most of teaching’s work. This already occurs at schools like Alpha School, where AI does learning and human mentors provide emotional and motivational care.
Use of AI in learning is not free from controversy. Some issues that come to mind are privacy, fairness, and algorithmic bias in AI algorithms. For instance, the AI algorithms are biased against poor students unwittingly, and that exacerbates education inequalities. Use of AI also restricts teacher-student interaction, impacting students’ social-emotional learning. All these necessitate careful use of AI to prevent learning from being worse off.
There are certain undeniable benefits of AI in education notwithstanding all these issues. AI can automate clerical work, which means teachers can spend more time interacting with students. AI can provide instant feedback, and this informs students where they need to improve and enhance the quality of learning. AI tools can also enable learning, which includes accessibility tools that aid students with disabilities.
AI and automation would revolutionize childcare in pre-school education. AI systems would make the pre-school learning experience uniquely fit the learner’s own learning need and style. AI would also make childcare safer and more secure through the application of technologies such as biometric check-in systems, which would only admit authorized individuals to childcare facilities. As AI advances, so will its application to education and childcare. Emerging technology will include virtual and augmented reality that will turn learning spaces into interactive spaces that engage students in innovative and novel methods. The success of AI in education will be determined by who will use it and how. Grassroots participation and local community leadership will be the determinants of AI implementation in schools such that it meets local needs and values. The transition to AI-based education is just beginning, and its effects will be revolutionary. By embracing AI in a wise and responsible manner, teachers, policymakers, and parents can realize its potential to customize education, render it more productive, and inclusive to everyone.
