"Alert! Alert! Discipline breach!" The pupils look up in alarm as their teacher glides towards them on rubber wheels. "Mobile phone usage detected! Ben Elliot, prepare for detention!" Ben tries to dodge, but in vain: a steel arm shoots out and grabs him by the collar. Before he knows it, he is being carried helplessly out into the corridor.

Writers for comics like the Beano have often had fun with the idea of robot teachers. But now what used to be fantasy is starting to come true.

A school for children aged four to 13 has appointed a robot called Abigail Bailey as "principal headteacher". It works in a similar way to ChatGPTAn Artificial Intelligence chatbot released in November 2022. .

It will advise the headmaster, Tom Rogerson, on everything from writing school rules to helping pupils with ADHDAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a mental health condition that can cause above-normal levels of energetic and impulsive behaviours..

Rogerson says¹ that being a headmaster is a very lonely job. So "It's nice to think that someone who is unbelievably well trained is there to help you make decisions."

In a recent podcast, Bill GatesFounder and former CEO of Microsoft, the company responsible for popularising household computers in the 80s (and still one of the major global tech companies). His house on the shores of Lake Washington is called Xanadu 2.0. It took seven years to build and is seen as an early example of a smart home. forecast that AI chatbots would soon be able to give helpful feedback on essays. He was talking to Sal Khan, who has been developing an AI tutor called Khanmigo.

Robots would not replace human teachers, they said, but act as "an army of teaching assistants."

Unfortunately the chatbots used at the moment regularly make mistakes. And some teachers say Khanmigo is too quick to provide answers instead of helping to solve problems. Pupils using AI to cheat is also a worry.

But one expert, Professor Stuart Russell,² says it should be possible within a few years - maybe by the end of this decade - to give every child in the world a good education.

What he worries about most is that the robots could be used for indoctrinationRepeating an idea to someone until they accept it without challenging it. . He believes that countries like China are already thinking about AI as a way of making people more loyal to the government.   

Yes: Research shows that one-to-one teaching is two to three times more effective than classroom teaching. Since there are not enough human teachers to provide that, robots must be the answer.

No: Teaching is not just about imparting information. Teachers need to have empathy with their students, understand what their strengths and weaknesses are, and give them encouragement and inspiration.   

Or... Robots could never replace teachers, but they could be very helpful to them. Most teachers are overworked and could do with help in preparing lesson plans or marking exam papers.

ChatGPT - An Artificial Intelligence chatbot released in November 2022.

ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a mental health condition that can cause above-normal levels of energetic and impulsive behaviours.

Bill Gates - Founder and former CEO of Microsoft, the company responsible for popularising household computers in the 80s (and still one of the major global tech companies). His house on the shores of Lake Washington is called Xanadu 2.0. It took seven years to build and is seen as an early example of a smart home.

Indoctrination - Repeating an idea to someone until they accept it without challenging it.