Where are you on the topic of artificial intelligence in education? Will it lead to Armageddon or Utopia?
I am guessing that most people are somewhere in between these two extremes. Perhaps you are wary of the reliability of AI, concerned about the risk of it being used to replace staff, and worried over its misuse by some of your students.
But perhaps you are also cautiously optimistic about the power of this technology to do some of the heavy-lifting, such as lesson planning, producing classroom resources, assessment and administration.
It might be able to take some of the grind out of teaching and free you to focus on the things that inspired you to become a teacher – engaging with your pupils and the joy of helping them learn about the world around them.
This article then is about what AI should do – and what it shouldn’t do. Because, ultimately, the question of whether AI is a good thing or a bad thing depends not on the technology itself but on how we – the humans – decide how to use it.
Let’s start with what it shouldn’t do. Number one on that list is that it must not be used to replace or make up for shortfalls in education staff.
Effective teaching and learning rely upon human interaction. That won’t change. Technology is not a substitute for discussion, the nuances of human expression and tone, the care and support of an actual real-life person.
Whatever the advantages of AI, we will still need to address the real and present problem of a recruitment and retention crisis which is making it increasingly difficult to put teachers in front of classes. Machines won’t solve that issue. Improving pay and conditions will.
Second, we have to go into this brave new world with our eyes open. AI is an extraordinary technology, but it cannot be relied upon to be wholly accurate. This will doubtless improve with time, but any user can testify that at present it gets things wrong – not just factually but in terms of the appropriate tone for the intended audience. Its voice is not your voice.
AI requires the application of your professional judgement, sprinkled with the magic of your teaching style. Otherwise, we’ll end up in a grey world where everything sounds synthetic.
Once we have ruled out what it can’t do, we’re left with what it can do. And that is its ability to produce content and perform tasks in a matter of seconds which might otherwise take us several hours to complete. It is not the finished article. As noted above, it then needs us to check for accuracy and tone. But it can remove a lot of the leg-work.
Like many technological advances, AI then is a tool for us to adapt and use; it is an aid rather than a complete answer.
Its great potential is what we can do with the time and space that this gives back. For a start there is an opportunity to reduce the burden of excessive workloads. This alone would be a big step forward in improving working conditions, making the profession more attractive to new recruits and aiding staff retention.
Then there is the prospect of being able to devote more time to students who need extra support. Individualised learning is a key part of closing attainment gaps and improving the outcomes of disadvantaged and vulnerable learners. AI can help us achieve that objective.
This won’t happen by accident. Many of you are already using forms of AI to varying extents. But we now need to bring this together into a national strategy, identifying what works best so that schools are supported by a consistent, effective and funded approach. The previous government developed education technology in a piecemeal fashion; the new government has to recognise that the full potential of AI will not be realised in this way.
Doing this right requires investment but it will pay dividends. The prize that AI offers us is significant, liberating our education professionals to spend more time on what most matters – the dialogue between teacher and pupil.
It is not about less humanity, but about more humanity. This is how it should be used.
- Pepe Di’Iasio is the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders. Read his previous articles for SecEd via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/pepe-di-iasio/
- ASCL is running a workshop on leading AI in education for school, college and trust leaders in London on September 30. For information, visit www.ascl.org.uk/professional-development/Events
Artificial intelligence in schools – Opportunities and risks: A two-day conference
SecEd and Headteacher Update are to host a two-day online conference offering interactive workshops showcasing work that is happening right now on the ground in primary and secondary schools to manage the AI revolution. Taking place on January 15 and 16, 2025, the event will offer practical insights, advice and ideas for how we can take advantage of AI to safely innovate, boost student outcomes, and support teaching staff. We will also discuss the risks of AI and how we must manage these in the school context. For details and to register your interest, visit www.sec-ed.co.uk/events/artificial-intelligence-in-schools-opportunities-and-risks-online