How AI is Making Teachers Obsolete — and Why That’s a Good Thing (2024)

AI is Changing Education Right Now and Why You Should Care

How is AI impacting education and teaching?

Contrary to fears of AI rendering humans obsolete through killer robots, AI is already having a profound impact on education right now.

A junior school in Washington state is pioneering the use of AI in the classroom, with teachers harnessing its capabilities for tasks like generating theme songs for student projects, simplifying complex research papers, and providing instant feedback on assignments. Rather than replacing teachers, AI is emerging as a powerful tool to enhance learning experiences.

The advent of AI in the classroom represents a paradigm shift akin to the introduction of calculators in math education. Instead of viewing AI as a threat to plagiarise work and undermine student effort, this school treats it as a "power-tool" to elevate thinking and engagement. Creative projects leveraging AI allow students to explore content in more meaningful ways, fostering better knowledge retention than traditional rote learning methods.

From a teacher's perspective, AI promises to alleviate some of the profession's biggest challenges, such as time constraints and workload. AI-powered assistants can streamline tasks like grading assignments, designing rubrics, and creating engaging lesson materials, potentially saving teachers 3-5 hours per week. Furthermore, instant AI-generated feedback can provide students with real-time insights to improve their work before final submission.

While concerns about AI hallucination and misinformation persist, these educators view this as an opportunity to cultivate critical thinking skills in students. By encouraging them to scrutinise AI outputs, students can develop a healthy skepticism and curiosity essential for navigating an AI-driven future. As one teacher notes, "It's almost more important to really have that AI foundation in elementary today to help prepare them for this future."