AI in education: What are the opportunities?

Being at the heart of the transformation of human societies, UNESCO have highlighted the important role that educational institutions play in the future development and use of AI, with students as active co-creators and future leaders who will shape its development and define its relationship with society. With this, educators need to be prepared and equipped to support students on that journey and ensure AI is implemented appropriately.

This article is part of a series of insights from 9ine exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. From the opportunities it can bring, to the potential risks and challenges it creates where not implemented appropriately, this series will bring you up to speed and provide practical tips to remain compliant and ethical when using AI in education. 

In this article, we explore the basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), what it is and how educational institutions are currently using it today.

What is AI?

At its core, AI refers to computers or software that are able to reason, learn and resolve problems of varying complexity which historically only humans could. Two key types of AI being used in education are ‘Predictive AI’ and ‘Generative AI’. 

‘Predictive AI’ is an umbrella term for AI technologies that can be used to analyse patterns in data (the input) and forecast outcomes (the output). In the context of education, predictive AI could be used to analyse student data (their attendance, grades, behaviour, online activity etc.) in order to predict things about them, like their future performance in education, or the likelihood that they will drop out. 

‘Generative AI’ (GenAI) on the other hand, is a term for AI technologies that can create text, code and other types of content from data or inputs. Whilst AI technologies have been in use for a while, the widespread use of GenAI accelerated in November 2022 with the public release of ChatGPT. This type of AI can be used in education to make written tasks and the production of teaching content much quicker and easier. 

How else is AI being used in education?

Schools are already utilising AI in a number of ways that benefit both students and teachers. From automating administrative tasks, to providing personalised learning paths, through to supporting grading efficiency and consistency and forecasting outcomes for students. Some of the key opportunities AI presents to the education system are: 

• Creating efficiencies for teachers: by automating tasks that teachers would normally have to complete manually, AI can give teachers back time which they can re-purpose for other, more complex tasks in education. Examples of creating efficiencies include correcting grammar, grading assignments, transcribing or summarising discussions, creating teaching content, designing assessments and providing feedback.  
• Improving the educational experience for students: In addition to increasing the time available to teachers to support students in traditional learning pathways and settings, using AI in education can also revolutionise the educational experience by supporting a more tailored and effective learning experience. From providing personalised learning paths based on their individual needs and abilities, to decreasing the time it takes to provide feedback to students on assignments, allowing them to reflect and adjust accordingly.
• Easy access to information about students for teachers: Schools hold a lot of data about students, which with the right tools can provide educators with a lot of insight into the student population of their school as a whole, but also insights on an individual student level. The use of AI-powered tools can provide teachers with real-time data and  insights about student performance, allowing them to make informed decisions and provide targeted support to students.    
• Easy access to educational material: Another opportunity for schools in using AI is empowering both teachers and students with easy access to vast amounts of information. Whilst they may already technically have had access to this via the web, or in textbooks and static datasets, functionally this amount of information can be difficult for humans to process. AI-powered tools can provide teachers and students with real-time data and insights that are more digestible and targeted to what they need, allowing them to create more thorough and diverse content and utilise their time and skills in other areas of research and creation.  

This sounds too good to be true?

Whilst AI can offer many opportunities to schools, without the correct implementation and oversight, it can also present a number of risks and challenges. From risks to the education system as a whole, to individual risks and harms to students and teachers. 

In our next article on the challenges and risks of AI in education we go into further detail about the challenges and risks of AI in education and what educators need to consider when deciding to use AI in education. 

9ine company overview

9ine equips schools to stay safe, secure and compliant. We give schools access to all the expertise they need to meet their technology, cyber, data privacy, governance, risk & compliance needs - in one simple to use platform. For additional information, please visit www.9ine.com or follow us on LinkedIn @9ine.