The future of the AI-enhanced classroom

As students return for a new school year, artificial intelligence is beginning to seep into the classroom. The disruption of teaching by technology is, though, not universally welcomed. As in other fields, AI is in reality unlikely to replace teachers any time soon, and nor should it. Research suggests the best learning is social, involving interaction between teachers and students, and between students themselves. This is one reason why “massive open online courses”—open-access, web-based courses aimed at wide participation—have not lived up to the hype around their arrival in the 2010s. AI is unlikely ever to be able to substitute for the judgment, motivation, guidance and pastoral care a teacher can provide. But since students will enter AI-equipped workplaces, schools must prepare them to navigate that world. AI can hold the prospect of empowering teachers—giving them more time to do what they do best. By making teachers more productive, AI-assisted education offers the possibility of compensating for shortages of skilled staff, especially in poorer regions and countries. But in order to reap the full benefits of the technology—without undermining existing educational standards—teachers, schools and governments will need to adapt too.