Will robo-teachers be better than humans? A new school with computer-led lessons offers a glimpse of what education might look like in the future.
First AI classroom launches in London
Will robo-teachers be better than humans? A new school with computer-led lessons offers a glimpse of what education might look like in the future.
Imagine stepping into the classroom of the future. Each desk has a computer screen, a 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 no teacher anywhere.
One London private schoolA school that pupils must pay to go to. , David Game College, has just launched a programme for those retaking GCSEsNational exams taken by 15 and 16-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. . They use an AI-powered learning programme, which means pupils do not waste time on material they already know.
Learning coaches help pupils with softer skills like art. But, for core subjects like English, maths and science, it is all AI.
According to the school's headmaster, John Dalton, this allows students to master subjects "much more effectively and efficientlyWorking quickly in an organised way. ".1
Some people fear this will make teaching worse. "It's a soulless and bleakMiserable and unwelcoming. future,"2 says 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 facts 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 many think that AI will increase fairness. 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 is Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft. He recently visited a school with AI incorporated into teaching and was "blown away by how creatively the teachers were using the tools".4
The UK Department for Education believes teachers are "irreplaceable".5 So maybe the future of education will not mean deciding between teachers or robots, but finding ways for them to work together.
If education is simply about learning facts and passing exams, AI has an important role. 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 its understanding. 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.
Efficiently - Working quickly in an organised way.
Bleak - Miserable and unwelcoming.
Bias - Biases are beliefs that systematically and unfairly distort a person's decisions, in favour or against one group or another.
First AI classroom launches in London

Glossary
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.
Efficiently - Working quickly in an organised way.
Bleak - Miserable and unwelcoming.
Bias - Biases are beliefs that systematically and unfairly distort a person's decisions, in favour or against one group or another.