How Will AI Transform Today’s Education?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world and everything in it – and education is no exception. As a modern, effective, and efficient technology, it is already changing the way schools function. From the classroom to the administrative offices, artificial intelligence has immense power to change education and the way students learn, and it is becoming increasingly integrated into education.

And while it can be used for various beneficial purposes, such as monitoring students’ activities and progress, assisting with carrying out lessons and administrative tasks, and personalizing learning experiences, its further installation in education systems comes with its share of doubts. At the same time, using advanced artificial intelligence programs for educational purposes by students is controversial. Recently, a new OpenAI release, an open-source program ChatGPT has been developed, and with it, the question of how (and if) this will affect the future of education. 

Today’s kindergarteners will become a part of the workforce and start their careers somewhere around the late 2030s. And seeing how advanced and available technological tools are becoming, the relevance of current educational systems is now under question. For example, math problems are now readily solvable by using mobile phones, and AI is getting better and better at writing texts. So it is becoming obvious that not all skills children learn today will be needed in the future.

But What Happens When the Power Goes Out?

Nonetheless, we should teach children essential life skills to help them operate in the modern world. Not only can it all collapse at some point, but countless human skills remain irreplaceable by any technology. Not to mention all the benefits of traditional learning – for example, foreign language learning helps with enhancing problem-solving skills, improves memory function, teaches creative thinking, and so on. Studying mathematics promotes healthy brain function, supports logical reasoning, and can even boost emotional health.

But ignoring all technological benefits because of the fear of artificial intelligence overriding the human race is simply a waste of all the precious benefits that technology can offer. Especially in areas such as education. And all the while we must know knowledge is necessary for understanding and improving the technology in the future.

So, AI Shouldn’t Be Considered a Threat but More So an Additional Opportunity

Specific changes will undoubtedly lead to more modern and technology-supported education in the following years. However, that does not mean the current education system will be completely overridden by technology. Further development will be a tool for forward-thinking educational leaders to provide the groundwork for the most individualized learning system that ever existed.

Technology innovation is intriguing and has the potential to be remarkable in the classroom when used correctly. With today’s students having trouble focusing and being surrounded by distractions, having a mechanism to fight that comes as a big help. And it helps reciprocally – both teachers and students.

What Are Some of the Main Advantages of Using AI in Education?

Firstly, schools can use artificial intelligence to monitor students in real time. AI-powered systems can identify student behavior trends and steadily monitor their development. This can be helpful with tracking their progress over time and help the teachers have a better overall picture of students’ progress and thus be more effective with understanding students’ needs and motivations. Furthermore, schools can also use artificial intelligence to detect any negative behavior that could harm the students. Student safety software, such as Blocksi, is already equipped with technological support that recognizes potentially violent speech and points it out to human reviewers before any child comes to harm.

Secondly, teachers can use AI to tailor learning for their students, making their learning experiences more personalized. Besides guiding teachers on what learning areas to especially emphasize with which students, AI-driven personalized learning also directs students and helps them to be more engaged in their own education. Artificial algorithms can design classes suited to students’ particular skills, limitations, and interests. Workers in education can also utilize AI to give students individualized feedback and guidance, so they can better understand their progress and know what to pay extra attention to.

And What of AI’s Drawbacks in Education?

The fears of implementing artificial intelligence in education are already showing, as some schools in the US are already taking action. Out of fear of concerns about the safety and accuracy of content, some have started blocking the use of tools such as ChatGPT. And these are one of the most common concerns. One of the drawbacks of using AI is the fear of students using it to a degree they lose all practical literacy and creativity, otherwise groomed by creative writing. With it comes the problem of plagiarism, cheating, and students abusing technology – not as a helpful tool but to do their work for them.

But along with new-born fears, tools for checking the percentage of artificially written content are also already appearing. Teachers will undoubtedly use them to prevent students from taking unethical advantage of AI-powered devices. More software on AI detection is yet to be developed and made available, but websites like Huggingface’s GPT-2 Output Detector Demo, Writer’s AI content detector tool, Content At Scale’s AI Content Detection, and Giant Language model Test Room are starting that conversation. The latter even highlights parts of the text based on the predictability of the particular parts – displaying how AI-generated they are.

Then there is the problem of the high costs of implementing AI and maintaining it, which can come as a problem for schools wanting to implement it. One of its other setbacks is the fear of decelerating students’ critical thinking ability. Technology alone can only offer a different level of engagement and support teachers provide. Thus, it is vital to only co-create the education experience rather than overtaking it.

So, What Is the Future of AI in Education?

Overall, by delivering individualized and adaptive learning experiences, AI has the potential to improve education. Using AI, teachers will be freed up and able to concentrate on more high-level duties. It is evident technology will be further developed and improved and, as such, has to be integrated into modern education wisely and prudently. It would be a shame to deny teachers and students such a unique and progressive tool for bettering the whole education experience, while remembering, we are using technology rather than the other way around.

SOURCES

[1] Benefits of Language Learning
[2] Why Is Math Important? 9 Reasons Why Math Skills Improve Quality of Life