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 there are no teachers.

A private schoolA school that pupils must pay to go to. in London has launched a programme for those retaking GCSEsNational exams taken by 15 and 16-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. using an AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. -powered learning programme. Learning coaches help pupils with softer skills such as art, but for core subjects like English, maths and science, teaching is by AI alone.

According to the school's headteacher this allows students to master subjects quickly.

Some people fear this is a bad idea and that pupils need interaction with teachers and peers, and that AI is unreliable.

But many think that AI will make the classroom a fairer place, as every pupil can have lessons tailor-made for their abilities.

The UK Department for Education believes teachers are "irreplaceable", so maybe the future of education will not mean deciding between teachers or robots, but finding ways for them to work together.

Will robo-teachers be better than humans?

Yes! AI can design personalised classes for every single pupil, targeting weak spots in understanding more accurately than human teachers.

No! AI has biasesBeliefs that systematically and unfairly distort a person's decisions, in favour or against one group or another. and will never be able to provide the human interaction that is a vital part of learning.