Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to tackle the biggest challenges within education today. A recent report from UNESCO found that using AI effectively can improve educational outputs by harnessing innovation, teaching and learning practices and accelerating students’ academic progress.
Whilst emphasising the benefits of incorporating AI into education, the report also highlights the importance of a human-centred approach to address existing gaps in regard to access to knowledge, as well as cultural diversity and self-expression. These findings signify the many challenges alongside the advantages of AI, the importance of understanding the doors it opens, and how to work in tandem with it in a school setting.
One of the most well-known AI tools is Open AI’s ChatGPT, which has gained a huge amount of traction in the public eye because of its ability to generate new, previously unseen content including text, music, images, code, or any other form of data. In 2023 the education sector was amongst the top three users of ChatGPT, with many teachers seeing the tool as a great assistive technology to enhance teaching. For example, by providing an arena for knowledge growth through a platform of information it means that students can be pre-taught material, helping them to prepare for the class and giving teachers the opportunity to accelerate students' progression.
AI tools can, however, also be seen as a threat to integrity, providing students with access to new and easier ways of cheating through plagiarism. They must therefore be regulated and strictly controlled – making the implementation daunting, but worthwhile. The reality is that these tools, such as Century Tech’s AI, enable educators to gain many benefits, such as a reduced workload (saving on average two hours a week in admin time) and streamlined workflows. By implementing proper training and raising awareness regarding the risks the technology brings, educators can continue to use it in an advantageous way.
Recently, the UK’s Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, recognised the potential of AI within education as well as the need for government, schools, colleges and universities to fully understand both the opportunities and the risks it brings.