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The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Education

The library to photocopy a few pages from an encyclopedia for a school project. As generations of children grow up with technology at their fingertips, we live in a world where the internet is their primary source of information, education, and entertainment.

A recent survey found that children in the U.S. aged between eight and 12 spend almost five hours a day looking at screens, while teenagers are clocking in nearly seven hours a day of screen time – and that’s not counting the time they spend doing schoolwork. Hours spent learning from chalkboards in physical classrooms have also reduced significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing social restrictions and lockdowns.¹ As technology and society continue to evolve and develop, the way we learn will also continue to change, for children and adults alike.

The rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotics impacts all industries, including education.³ If the education sector hopes to utilize AI’s full potential for everyone, the focus should be to continue exposing the next generation to AI early on and utilizing the technology in the classroom. Teachers are already finding that many students use AI through social media and are, therefore, open to its educational applications.

There’s also a great professional need for these abilities. “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sees strong growth for data science jobs skills in its prediction that the data science field will grow about 28 percent through 2026,” says Bernard Schroeder, senior contributor for Forbes. With increased technology comes increased data operations and analysis sophistication, as well as more AI. These changes will ultimately increase the demand for data scientists and other AI specialists.

The Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Education

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about education. From personalized learning algorithms to virtual and augmented reality, AI-powered tools and technologies are helping to enhance the learning experience for students in ways we never thought possible.

AI has the potential to provide a wide range of benefits for education. One of the most significant is the ability to personalize each student’s learning experience. With AI, educators can analyze student performance and preferences data to create customized lesson plans and assessments that align with each student’s unique strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, AI can automate administrative tasks such as grading, freeing up time for educators to focus on other important aspects of teaching.

AI-powered tools and technologies can also enhance the learning experience for students in a number of ways. For example, virtual and augmented reality can make learning more interactive and immersive, while chatbots and other AI-powered tools can provide 24/7 student support. Additionally, AI can be used to create personalized quizzes and games that help students to engage with the material in a fun and interactive way.

Personalized learning is one of the most exciting potential benefits of AI in education. With the ability to analyze data on student performance and preferences, AI can help educators to create customized lesson plans and assessments that align with each student’s unique strengths and weaknesses. This can improve student engagement and motivation, and ultimately lead to better academic outcomes.

How Artificial Intelligence is Currently Used in Education

How technology is used in classrooms has changed significantly in response to COVID-19. Rather than teaching in front of a classroom full of students, lockdowns forced many educators across the globe to teach remotely, from their homes. Edtech company Promethean surveyed teachers and learned that 86 percent thought AI should be an important part of education.

Using AI in education holds many benefits for both students and teachers:⁸

Learning resources can be accessed from anywhere, at any time
Time-consuming, tedious tasks such as record-keeping or grading multiple-choice tests can be completed through AI automation
Frequently asked questions can be answered through chatbots
AI tutors and chatbots can be available to answer questions at any time
Learning can be tailored and adapted to each student’s goals and abilities through personalized programs

Drawbacks Of Artificial Intelligence In Education

The implementation of different AI tools in education has seen a positive growth trend that will continue further on. However, there are some hitches that may pose a threat to leveraging the optimum potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence in classrooms. Take a look at some of them:

Artificial intelligence limits human interaction, the development of social skills, and the building of connections.
Integrating AI could be a problem for developing countries because of high costs and poor internet connectivity.
AI solutions make the educational process highly dependent on computer systems and infrastructure prone to cyber-attacks, crashing, and compatibility issues.

Challenges and Concerns of AI in Education

While there are many benefits to using AI in education, there are also ethical considerations that need to be addressed. One of the biggest concerns is the potential for AI to perpetuate existing biases and discrimination in education. Additionally, there are concerns about the impact of AI on student privacy and data security.

Educators have also pointed out the chatbot’s ability to generate meaningful responses to questions from assessments and exams. And it’s often not possible to attribute these responses to a particular source – making it difficult to detect plagiarism.

Another concern is the potential for job displacement in the education sector as technology continues to advance. With the automation of many administrative tasks, there may be fewer jobs available for educators and support staff.

The Future of AI in Education Opportunities and Challenges

How AI Is Set To Change The Education Market

The World Economic Forum estimates that, by 2025, a large proportion of companies will have adopted technologies such as ML. They strongly encourage governments and educational institutions to focus on rapidly increasing related education and skills, focusing on both STEM and non-cognitive soft skills to meet the impending need. Advances in technology will cause major disruptions in the workforce, as automation could replace up to 50 percent of existing jobs in the U.S. alone, Microsoft reported.¹³ The Microsoft report continues, suggesting students will need to have mastered two facets of this new world by the time they graduate.

They need to:

Know how to utilize ever-changing technology, such as AI, to their advantage
Understand how to work with other people in a team to problem-solve effectively

Preparing students to work alongside AI in the future can start early. As many children are already comfortable with digital technology before entering school, it’s essential to teach them the skills to thrive in a digital workplace. The workforce of the future has its foundation in the now.