With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), many argue that education will never be the same again. From AI-powered tutors and genAI-created class materials to alleviating the administrative burden that has traditionally plagued teachers, AI is disrupting education as we know it.
AI has the potential to make education more accessible, efficient, and effective than ever before. But, as is the case with leveraging AI across domains, these results are no guarantee without guardrails that keep data secure and mitigate biased or inaccurate results.
EdTech companies looking to leverage AI to empower learning should follow a clear data strategy that ensures that concepts are not only feasible but closely aligned with business objectives and user learning goals.
Here’s how AI is paving the way for a new reality in education – and how EdTech companies can navigate it.
Personalized Learning Experiences
Hiring a private tutor is one of the most trusted methods of providing a student with a personalized learning experience. With AI, tutors are no longer limited by scheduling or subject matter expertise.
Virtual AI tutors give students 24/7 access to personalized academic support, whether they need practice questions for a math quiz, to learn facts about a historical period, or to study a coding language.
These AI-powered conversational assistants can provide tailored experiences for students based on past performance and preferences and eliminate the fear of judgment in the case of mistakes. AI bots with facial recognition capabilities will even have the power to recognize emotions present in the student and respond empathetically to what they witness.
Khan Academy’s Khanmigo is one example of an EdTech tool leading the way on this front, which is being used by school students as a personalized tutor.
intive has also recently been working on an adaptive learning system for an educational publisher, which uses AI to generate quizzes based on students’ previous performance.
For EdTech platforms looking to offer this kind of solution, checking for bias and accuracy is paramount – in fact, Khanmigo was criticized for mispronouncing Hispanic names in the school where it was being trialed.
Empowering Teachers’ Processes
We forget just how much the job of a teacher takes place outside of the classroom – grading, lesson planning, and even parent communications. Whether looking to reduce some of the drudgework or in need of a creative spark, every teacher could benefit from their own personal assistant – or better yet – copilot.
With the help of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, teachers can get inspiration for classroom activities, generate materials that are more interesting and relevant to students than classic textbook examples, and more easily track students’ progress. Again, this can all be done based on data on students’ preferences, performance, and learning objectives – helping to provide a more tailored experience that supports results and engagement.
Teachers can also use data analytics tools to gain insight into student performance, allowing them to keep track and see which students may require additional attention. AI can even provide post-teaching feedback by analyzing a video recording of a virtual or in-person class, assessing classroom dynamics and teaching techniques, and offering points for improvement based on the teacher’s goals.
VR-Augmented Classrooms
In the physical classroom, study lab, and training site, we will see more and more examples of technology merging with the in-person learning experience.
Virtual reality (VR), which leverages the power of AI algorithms and real-time data processing, will increasingly permeate learning across domains. With VR, students can experience important historical moments, visit places that are geographically inaccessible, or even practice skills such as medical surgeries. VR empowers students to “learn by doing” and helps them better understand and engage with course content.
In fact, 77% of teachers in a study by XR Association said that XR (which encompasses VR and AR) increases student engagement and motivation and can help equip them with important career skills. Another study from PwC found that VR learners are four times faster to train than in the classroom and 275% more confident to apply skills learned after training.
Meta is one organization bringing this to the classroom with its Quest VR headset specifically designed for education. The new headset design will provide a range of education-specific apps and features, allowing teachers to make learning more interactive.
Making Education More Accessible
AI has the power to make education more accessible for students with disabilities who may struggle to interact with standardized content in a traditional classroom setting. For example, AI-powered speech-to-text (and vice versa) can help those with hearing impairments, while adaptive platforms can cater to students with diverse learning needs. AI tools can help dyslexic people express their ideas in writing, while other computer vision-powered solutions can help diagnose ADHD through eye movement detection.
AI is also set to plug education gaps in geographical areas where children and young people struggle to access quality education. For example, in Latin America, where 56% of 10-year-olds cannot read and understand a simple text, AI can support in contexts where there may be a shortage of teachers or expertise.
However, this first requires access to hardware and connectivity in those institutions, as well as digital literacy to effectively leverage the technology. EdTech businesses looking to provide solutions for these contexts may consider partnering with local non-profits or government-led initiatives to ensure the foundation is there for their product to be impactful.
Ensuring AI Success for EdTech Businesses
At intive, we have extensive experience advising companies on AI projects and building innovative AI solutions that create a positive impact for end-users. For example, we helped a leading educational publisher leverage GenAI and large language models to drastically reduce the time spent manually processing manuscripts. This is in addition to building the adaptive learning system mentioned above, which supports teachers in creating assessments based on students’ needs.
What’s more, in areas outside EdTech, we’ve helped build a GenAI-powered conversational assistant that expands access to public services and an AI-driven surgical planning platform that creates 3D images of bone reconstructions.
In order to successfully leverage AI, EdTech companies need to adopt a strategic approach, which involves a careful discovery, iteration, and development phase to nail down a concept that’s feasible and aligned with organizational goals.
Here are some important considerations for building secure and ethical AI products for education:
Data Privacy
AI systems collect immense amounts of data, and EdTech platforms need to ensure that they have the protocols in place to keep this private and secure. They must communicate how they store and use this data to customers, and comply with the data protection legislation where they’re operating.
Avoiding Bias
As we saw with Khanmigo’s inability to correctly pronounce Hispanic names, AI can produce output that’s biased towards certain demographics and reinforces discrimination. EdTech companies can mitigate this by training their algorithms with quality data that are representative across ethnic, racial, social, and gender groups, and constantly monitoring results for bias.
Addressing Inaccuracies
It’s no secret that GenAI tools can produce hallucinations, i.e., inaccurate or outright untrue output. Again, constantly having a human in the loop who’s responsible for verifying AI-generated responses can help EdTech teams ensure they aren’t feeding users with skewed information. Educating students and teachers on using detailed, specific prompts can also prevent inaccurate results.
AI is here to enhance the learning experience, helping students feel more engaged and invested in their studies, and improving accessibility to education across diverse groups. EdTech businesses that understand the importance of a data strategy and the risks associated with leveraging AI tools in 2024 will be best placed to leverage this potential and build truly impactful solutions.
Interested in how intive can support your AI journey? Schedule an expert consultation today.
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