The Next Three Years: AI & Education
Eleven Predictions and Nine Challenges with AI
Two days ago, I was honoured to present at a webinar titled ‘Kids Deserve Education’. My talk was titled “The AI Education Revolution: Navigating the Next Three Years.”
In this newsletter, I want to expand my thoughts and discuss how AI will (and has started to) affect education and language teaching.
If you want to watch the webinar (you’ll also get to see Ross Thorburn’s presentation on Storytelling!), you can watch it here (my presentation starts around the thirty-eight minute mark):
So what’s been happening?
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve heard of ChatGPT, and its pals. I’ve written articles about using AI to:
I’ve even started a newsletter called ‘The AI Educator’, with weekly updates on AI in education because things are moving so fast.
With everything happening, here are my eleven predictions and nine challenges I can see happening in the next three years.
Eleven predictions for AI in education
These are trends that are coming. Some are starting to happen now, and some I predict will start to happen very soon.
1. AI will integrate with everything
We’re seeing Google’s AI integrate with its search function, and Microsoft integrating AI with search and Windows operating system.
It’s only a matter of time before the larger learning management systems and school management systems start to integrate AI as well.
It’s easy to see a time where AI pairs with everything – from curriculum design to teacher and student performance tracking.
2. New mega-learning companies will appear
As people uncover AI’s potential, I expect new companies to rise quickly to take advantage. Larger companies often move slowly, leaving gaps for smaller companies to develop ‘the next big thing’. Or, a merger could happen between smaller companies to create a similar situation.
These organisations could leverage AI to deliver innovative, effective, and personalised learning experiences at scale.
3. Ethical issues will divide opinion
The more we use AI, the more urgent the ethical issues become. I can see all of us, from students to teachers to organisations struggling with ethical issues, such as privacy, data security, and bias. Institutions and policymakers will need to address these concerns proactively to maintain public trust.
4. There will be ongoing debates
Countries, states, and schools will develop different responses to AI in education. Some may embrace it, while others will ban it (or try to ban it). Over time, this could lead to a larger difference in learning outcomes, based on how much AI can boost learning.
5. Learning will become ‘individualised’
AI's potential to personalise learning for each student presents a huge opportunity. AI algorithms can adjust to a student's learning pace, detect comprehension gaps, and provide tailored study resources. This approach ensures differentiation in the classroom without overloading teachers.
6. Intelligent tutoring systems will appear
AI can help build intelligent tutoring systems, providing students with personalised assistance across various subjects. These systems can offer immediate feedback 24/7, filling in when human tutors are unavailable due to time or cost.
7. There will be immersive educational experiences
By merging AI with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), we can create immersive, interactive educational experiences. Imagine students virtually visiting other countries and cultures, and conducting real-time, virtual, face-to-face conversations.
8. Education will become more accessible
Speech recognition and text-to-speech technologies can make educational materials more accessible to those with disabilities.
9. Administration tasks will be automated
AI can automate tedious tasks like scheduling, grading, and record-keeping. This could give teachers more time and energy to teach and interact with students.
10. Predictive analytics will be used
AI can analyse student performance data to identify patterns and predict future outcomes. It sounds a little like Big Brother watching everyone, but it would allow early interventions for students at risk of falling behind.
11. Assessment and feedback will improve
AI can update old-fashioned assessment systems, give immediate assignment feedback, and use machine learning to enhance test validity.
Nine challenges of adapting to AI in education
Implementing AI in education is not without obstacles, many of which revolve around ethical, societal, and technical issues.
1. Data privacy
With AI systems processing vast data quantities, the risk of misusing sensitive information increases. These incidents could infringe on students' and teachers’ privacy rights.
2. Equity and access
Using AI could worsen existing education inequalities, creating a digital divide between students with and without access to AI.
3. Bias in AI
AI systems inherit and perpetuate any bias in their training data, which could lead to discrimination.
4. Dehumanized education
AI could lead to a depersonalised education system. Human interaction and relations could be removed, or partly removed from teaching and learning, which would be tragic!
5. Over-reliance on technology
An over-dependence on AI for learning might stifle the development of critical skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
6. Training for teachers and students
Successful AI integration in education requires both teachers and students to possess a certain level of digital literacy. Without adequate training, AI's effective use could be compromised.
7. Job security for educators
Will we keep our jobs? Government schools will likely be safe for a while, but those working in private schools might not.
As companies seek to save costs, so they’ll look to reduce costs. Suppose an AI can tutor language students as effectively (or better!) and cheaper than a real teacher so that jobs will be lost.
Some students will always prefer a ‘real’ teacher, but many students and parents will choose to save money with an AI tutor.
8. Ethics and Morality
The use of AI in education also raises complex ethical and moral questions. For instance, is using AI systems to predict a student's future academic performance or career prospects fair or ethical? This kind of dystopian scenario reminds me of Gattaca, one of my favourite films of all time.
9. Regulation and Policy
Schools and institutions are scrambling to decide what to do. NYC banned and then unbanned AI in a knee-jerk reaction. There will be a greater need for clear, effective, and fair rules and regulations for AI.
What do you think? Let me know!
If you liked this article, you’ll love my books:
📝 Lesson Planning for Language Teachers - Plan better, faster, and stress-free (4.5⭐, 175 ratings).
👩🎓 Essential Classroom Management - Develop calm students and a classroom full of learning (4.5⭐, 33 ratings).
🏰 Storytelling for Language Teachers - Use the power of storytelling to transform your lessons (4.5⭐, 11 ratings).
🤖 ChatGPT for Language Teachers - AI prompts and techniques for language teachers (4.5⭐, 10 ratings).
💭 Reflective Teaching Practice Journal - Improve your teaching in five minutes daily (4.5⭐, 16 ratings).