Artificial Intelligence Is Positioned to Change the Education Landscape: What You Need to Know

Though the first successful artificial intelligence (AI) program was written in the 1950s, the innovation has been growing and changing for decades. However, when ChatGPT was launched in late 2022, the AI landscape, and those of many other industries, began to shift. Now, education is one of many industries that has been impacted and is starting to understand the longer-term impacts AI could have on the space.

“AI is being used a little bit for different purposes within the education space, but by this time next year, we expect it will be almost everywhere,” explained Emily Mitchell, vice president of education at Sylvan Learning. “We, internally, have begun experimenting with ChatGPT and Bard to see exactly what AI is capable of as it relates to instruction and materials.”

Like any strong tool, AI programs are capable of a lot, but they need to be used responsibly and with an understanding of how they work.

Ai in education

ChatGPT Is Useful for Teachers and Students Alike

When used correctly, ChatGPT can be a powerful resource for both teachers and students.

“When we were testing it out, we asked ChatGPT to make a lesson plan based on a certain set of academic standards, and we had a full plan, with differentiation, available almost instantly,” Mitchell said. “That can be very valuable, but teachers and students need to understand the restraints of the program and when it makes sense to use it. It will never, and should never, replace a teacher.”

While ChatGPT can write in many forms and provide straightforward factual answers, it is only as current as its most recent update. As of now, ChatGPT is able to analyze data as recent as 2021, meaning some of its responses may already be outdated. Like any program, its output is only as good as the content it has access to.

Mitchell explained that all it takes for ChatGPT to infiltrate schools is a single student to realize the potential the tool holds, and then shares that tool with their peers. By asking simple questions, students are able to have answers provided in a single spot with little to no additional research or reading, which can be incredibly convenient. However, students need to understand that the information the AI provides still needs to be fact-checked.

Ai as a tool

Like a Calculator, AI Is a Tool That Will Need To Be Contextualized

Though AI feels new and foreign to many people in the education space, it is really just the newest iteration of a tool that has a place in the space. Mitchell likened it to the calculator.

“When calculators first came out, there was this idea that we shouldn’t let students use calculators because they won’t always have one with them,” she said. “Now, we all carry a calculator in our pockets all day — on our phones.”

Education is slowly shifting its point of view on which skills are the most important to learn. For the bulk of education’s history, students have been tasked with memorizing facts and calculating results. AI eliminates the need to memorize or calculate. Now, a student’s critical thinking and analysis skills are far more important than rote memorization.

Ai usage and limits

AI Usage Restrictions

Because it is still taking off, many school districts have yet to solidify rules and regulations regarding students’ usage of AI on assignments. However, once these rules are established, it will be incredibly important for students and parents to understand when the help of AI is appropriate and allowed. If done well, it can help establish and maintain equity between students.

“The students need to be taught where to apply what… When they can use AI, when it’s appropriate and when it’s allowed,” Mitchell added. “They also need to know to fact check their work and make sure that the program has given them correct information. It’s only as good as the information put into it, and not all websites are trustworthy sources of information.”

Can AI Serve as a Tutor?

Though it’s helpful in many contexts, artificial intelligence can never replace caring, committed tutors and educators. AI programs have a multitude of uses, but there are some aspects of education that simply require personalization and humanization.

One of the primary benefits of high-dosage tutoring is students’ ability to create an attachment to their tutors and feel like they have another person cheering on their academic success. That’s not something you get from a computer program.

Future of ai

The Future of AI in the Space

In education, AI will soon become as mainstream as any other tools students leverage, such as calculators and spelling and grammar check programs, but it will never replace the role of the educator.