Harnessing AI to Shape the Future of Learning

AI plays a pivotal role in supporting day-to-day teaching and learning. While many view AI as a risk of potentially replacing teachers or pushing students to be complacent, it is, in fact, a powerful support tool when used alongside teachers’ expertise, rather than as a replacement for them.

With AI’s ability to streamline admin tasks and personalise learning experiences, teachers can focus more on quality, face-to-face interactions with students. The question now is not whether AI belongs in education, but how we can implement it thoughtfully to ensure safe, equitable and effective learning environments.

Teachers’ Challenges and the Role of AI
Last year, the education sector faced significant challenges, particularly for teachers. Many teachers reported burnout as they constantly juggled lesson planning, admin work, extracurricular activities, marking and classroom teaching, which often stretched well beyond a 40-hour workweek.

This is where AI can play a transformative role. AI tools can alleviate many of these burdens, allowing teachers to reclaim their time and engage with students in the classrooms. AI can streamline administrative tasks from lesson planning, and grading assignments, to analysing student performance data. AI-driven insights help teachers identify students who may be struggling and tailor tasks to meet their needs.

When schools integrate AI thoughtfully, it has the potential to significantly alleviate teachers from burning out and the risk of leaving the profession. However, to fully realise these benefits, schools must provide adequate training and resources to ensure teachers feel confident and supported in using AI. Without it, the introduction of AI risks overwhelming teachers further, exacerbating the very issue it seeks to address.

AI’s Benefits for Students and its Safety
There’s a robust body of research that shows timely, personalised, actionable feedback has a significantly positive impact on student learning. With AI, students can practice a skill or explain a concept in a low-stakes environment, free from the fear of embarrassment, and receive immediate, constructive feedback - something that is impossible for a teacher to do for each student across a class.

This allows them to implement suggested improvements and receive positive reinforcement when successful. This iterative process, often referred to as a “learning loop”, is at the heart of effective education. AI has the potential to tighten this loop, enhancing the learning experience and supporting students at every stage. Education Perfect’s internal study of AI-powered feedback technology showed a 47% average improvement in students’ final response quality, highlighting its transformative potential.

The accuracy and reliability of AI systems are crucial, as students rely on them for guidance. AI tools must be built on high-quality, curriculum-aligned content to minimise the risk of misinformation or inaccuracies. While no AI system is flawless, it’s essential to provide mechanisms that allow both teachers and students to identify and flag inaccuracies when they occur.

Teacher oversight remains a vital component of using AI in education. Effective systems are designed to involve teachers actively, enabling them to review AI-generated feedback and add their expertise to further enhance student learning. By maintaining this balance between AI and human expertise, AI can serve as a valuable tool for creating safer and more effective learning environments.

Equitable Access to AI For Every Classroom
While well-resourced schools are often quick to adopt cutting-edge technologies, less prestigious and underfunded schools can struggle to provide the same opportunities for their students. This disparity risks widening the education gap, where students in disadvantaged areas miss out on the benefits AI can bring compared to their peers.

To address this issue, policymakers and education leaders must prioritise equitable implementation of AI tools, ensuring that no classroom is left behind, which is in line with UNESCO’s vision for this year. Government funding and targeted grants can help bridge the technology divide by providing resources to schools that lack the financial capacity to invest in AI systems, on top of the essential needs such as electricity, internet and well-paid teachers.

Equally important is training and support for teachers in less prestigious schools. Teachers need professional development opportunities to understand how to use AI effectively and safely integrate these tools into their classrooms.

A Global Call to Action
There is a shared global responsibility to innovate and expand access to quality education for all. It is a call to action for schools, policymakers, and education leaders to embrace AI in addressing long-standing and emerging challenges in education. AI’s potential to transform classrooms, allow teachers to spend time with students more and personalise learning for students cannot be overstated, but equitable implementation must remain a priority.

Education is the foundation of opportunity and progress, and the equitable integration of AI represents a chance to level the playing field. Today, as we reflect on the future of education, it is clear that the path forward requires a collective commitment to innovation, equity and collaboration so the next generation can thrive and succeed.