Imagine stepping into the classroom of the future. Each desk has a large computer screen, a brand-new touchpad, and the latest VRVirtual reality. A simulation of a 3D environment. It can be interacted with in a way that feels real. headset, but there is no teacher to be seen.

One London private schoolA school that pupils must pay to go to. , David Game College, has launched a programme for those retaking GCSEsNational exams taken by 15 and 16-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. which uses an AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. -powered learning programme. This means pupils do not waste time on material they already know.

Teachers have been replaced by learning coaches who help pupils with any problems and teach softer skills such as public speaking or art. For core subjects such as English, maths and science, everything is on computer.

According to the school's headteacher, John Dalton, AI allows students to master subjects "much more effectively and efficiently than they would in a normal classroom".¹

Some people fear this will not work well. "It's a soulless and bleak future,"² says respected education advisor Chris McGovern. He believes that pupils need interaction with teachers and peers.

Others warn that AI has been shown to make things up and present information with biasBiases are beliefs that systematically and unfairly distort a person's decisions, in favour or against one group or another. . As two academics from New Zealand argue, AI classrooms raise many "concerns about fairness".³

But others think that AI will actually make things fairer. At the moment, only the children of wealthy parents can afford private tutors, but, with AI, every pupil can have lessons tailor-made for their abilities.

One of the supporters of the AI classroom is Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of MicrosoftAn American company, and the largest seller of computer software in the world.. He recently visited a school with AI incorporated into teaching and was "blown away by how creatively the teachers were using the tools".⁴

But even he does not think that teachers should be replaced by robots. "At the end of the day, teachers know best," he concludes.⁵ Similarly, the UK Department for Education believes that teachers are "irreplaceable".⁶ So maybe the future of education will not mean deciding between teachers or robots, but finding ways for them to work together.

How people feel about this debate also depends on what they believe is the purpose of education. If it is simply about learning facts and passing exams, AI has an important role to play. But if it is about learning to become an adult human, this is a lesson robots will struggle to teach.

Will robo-teachers be better than humans?

Yes: AI can design personalised classes for every single pupil. This means they can target the weak spots in their understanding more accurately than any human teacher.

No: At the moment AI has biases and blind spots in what it delivers. And it will never be able to provide the human interaction that is a vital part of learning.

Or... In the future, the best teachers will be able to incorporate AI into classes, so that learning is personalised but soft skills are not neglected either.

VR - Virtual reality. A simulation of a 3D environment. It can be interacted with in a way that feels real.

Private school - A school that pupils must pay to go to.

GCSEs - National exams taken by 15 and 16-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think. 

Bias - Biases are beliefs that systematically and unfairly distort a person's decisions, in favour or against one group or another.

Microsoft - An American company, and the largest seller of computer software in the world.