Artificial intelligence (AI) has found its way into our everyday lives in recent years. From voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to facial recognition software that helps us unlock our phones and sensitive apps, artificial intelligence has penetrated various aspects of our lives and will continue to do so.
So prevalent is AI in our lives now that the U.S. government has enacted the AI Bill of Rights. According to an article by ExpressVPN, a virtual private network provider and cybersecurity company, the AI Bill of Rights looks to protect the public from the harm that AI and other forms of automated systems produce through their algorithms. If you’re looking for other options, it helps to seek out Surfshark vs ExpressVPN comparisons.
While still new, the AI Bill of Rights has the potential to hold AI creators and companies accountable. This accounts for their actions and the software they produce.
Thanks to the pandemic, AI was used heavily during lockdown periods to facilitate online learning. Many schools switched to remote or online learning, using platforms like Zoom, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Teams to deliver lessons and assignments to students. Plus, with traditional in-person exams and assessments not possible, schools and teachers had to develop alternative methods of evaluating student performance, such as online exams, projects, and presentations.
It’s likely that moving forward, we’ll see AI being used even more to shape the way we learn, teach, and grow.
Below, we look at three use cases for AI in the education sector. Plus, how they might apply to us in the near future.
1. Personalized learning experiences
It’s first worth understanding that regardless of how advanced it gets, AI is not a means of substitution and cannot replace a human teacher entirely. However, what it can do is assist teachers in understanding and identifying the needs of individual students in order to create a class environment that best suits their learning style.
AI algorithms can analyze a student’s strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and progress to create customized learning plans for each student. This helps students learn at their own pace and achieve better outcomes. For example, if a student is particularly weak in a subject like Math, the AI algorithm can help devise plans or learning paths that focus on this to help the student improve.
With AI, teachers can also monitor their students’ progress to measure and ensure that these improvement methods are indeed effective. Parents may also be interested in obtaining a report about their child’s progress.
An AI algorithm could also help students prepare and learn better by recommending more suitable resources. For example, if a student seems more interested in interactive content, an AI could recommend videos in place of texts for required reading.
2. Automation for grading and prepping
Every week, teachers spend about 25 hours a week, or 50% of their time, preparing lesson plans and materials for their students. It was also found by the Washington Post that, on average, teachers also spend about 53 hours per week grading the assignments and projects of their students.
While standard in the past, AI looks to change that with algorithms. These algorithms automate grading and lesson prep work.
To avoid biases and errors in grading, educational institutions will have to ensure that their selected AI has been calibrated to support diversity in responses and has been tested enough to support the needs of the school and its educators.
3. More exciting learning environments
Use AI to create interactive games and simulations designed to teach specific skills and knowledge. AI-powered gamification can increase student motivation and engagement by making learning fun and engaging. Besides this, AI can create immersive virtual and augmented reality environments that provide students with hands-on learning experiences. For example, students could explore historical events in a virtual reality environment. Or use augmented reality to see how a scientific concept plays out in the real world. They can use a headset to see what life was like at a particular time or point in history.
Not only will this make learning subjects more fun, but it’ll also be a more exciting and immersive experience. It could encourage students to want to do better in school and excite them.
Limitations
As with most types of technologies, though, AI is not without its flaws and limitations. For starters, the systems lack the common sense and intuition that humans use to make decisions. This can result in incorrect or inappropriate decisions, particularly in complex or unpredictable situations.
Another worrying trend focuses on the bias that AI might have and perpetuate. AI systems can perpetuate existing biases and discrimination if not trained on biased data. This can result in biased outcomes and decisions, particularly in the job market, financial industry, and criminal justice areas.
Lastly, cybersecurity is another concern that most people have about AI. The lack of understanding of AI security and safety could be why some people are not as keen to adopt the technology and use it even further.
Final Thoughts
Despite these limitations, AI has the potential to enhance our lives. It additionally enhances any industry that AI implements in to solve many important problems. However, it’s vital to be aware of its limitations. Then, develop ethical and effective approaches to AI that minimize its negative impacts and maximize its positive benefits.
