Use of AI in education is increasing, many have been left questioning whether or not this is an issue.
Artificial Intelligence has developed at a rapid rate in recent years and will only continue to do so. The increase of its use in the workplace continues as it develops, but is there such a thing as a workplace where AI does not belong?
With developments of technological abilities and the increase of accessibility of Artificial Intelligence platforms, the use of AI in various mediums has become increasingly popular, with nearly a quarter of workplaces adopting AI technologies as standard procedure.
AI has taken quite a specific popularity amongst young people, specifically school students, as an assistive tool to help with homework and understanding the content they are being taught, but are their teachers using it too?
As it has developed in previous years, Artificial Intelligence-based technologies have moulded themselves to account for users’ needs, with added development of different AI platforms being developed for more specific functions. Many have noticed an increase in the use of AI in the education sector, with quite specific use of platforms such as TeachMateAI, an Artificial Intelligence platform designed specifically for teachers to assist them with everything from lesson plans to report writing.
How is AI being used?
Lauren, a teacher at Mossbourne Herd Lane Academy, is among those who have noticed the increase in automation in educational settings. She believes that when used properly, AI is very useful and can be helpful. “It helps with admin tasks and saves a lot of time with that. Instead of spending ages trying to find a specific worksheet that matches the lesson you’re teaching, you can type what you want into an Al platform, and it will create it for you”. Lauren is selective in her personal use of AI in her teaching, only using it when she feels she has to, like when she is teaching a topic that she doesn’t personally know very much about, to ensure she is correctly teaching the topic, and distributing work appropriate for the year group it is for.
Despite recognising the benefit of using Artificial Intelligence as an assistive tool, concerns can also be addressed regarding where the limits of too much AI in teaching are. Some teachers use AI daily during lessons to come up with texts for creative writing tasks or to solve maths problems, but this “becomes damaging, especially when done in front of the children. Our job is to teach the children. What are we teaching them if we are showing them that AI is doing the work for us?”
This line of where there is too much AI seems to be something difficult to establish amongst teachers, as it has been said those not using AI will be more tuned into their work, allowing for more effective and interactive teaching, with those using AI being less so as they often may not know the ins and outs of the entire lesson they are teaching, as it is not all their own work, but it is “very clear” when a teacher has outright relied on AI to do their work.
So, are the futures of today’s children and their education in the hands of AI? No, but it is certainly something that requires regulation.