The future is AI: a vision of AI in education and training   

The promise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was given many decades ago. It has transformed several industries, from banking to social media, but its potential to revolutionize education and training remains unexploited. 

What can feasibly be achieved in the next few years? 

By Christos Anthis, Chief Learning Strategist 

A good friend, who is also a publisher of school books for language teaching, was recently chatting with me about ways in which artificial intelligence can become a game changer. That’s the term he used. Game changer. So we backtracked a little, and we started talking about why the game needs changing. We talked about personalized learning, and how it is impossible by using conventional teaching methods.

We discussed the emotional state of learners, and how teachers and trainers couldn’t possibly pay attention to individual feelings and moods in the context of their hectic schedules. And we talked about learners achieving a state of intrinsic motivation, the holy grail of all modern training initiatives.  

AI can really personalize learning 

We read and hear a lot about personalized learning. But things like interface configuration and customizable themes and avatars don’t really make learners feel the relevance they need. A choice of learning paths is a welcome feature, but again, it doesn’t really achieve what real personalization can bring: the sense that my learning efforts will benefit me, because they are tailored to what I need. 

What if we designed an AI which didn’t simply personalize the experience at the outset, perhaps by giving me a placement test or asking me about certain preferences, but instead carried out the task of personalization on a daily basis?

Learner’s needs change with time, and so should the learning experience on offer. Imagine, for example, the AI “realizing” that a learner is less fluent in a particular skill than they used to be, and offering just-in-time practice opportunities!

AI can treat learners as human beings and motivate them 

These are stressful times. Learners do not always come to training sessions feeling calm, collected, and ready to learn. Adult learners especially, often come to the training room towards the end of a hectic work day, their minds already overburdened with all sorts of problems and challenges.

Good teachers and trainers know the signs, and they always give a little time to warm-up activities which aim to place the learners in the right frame of mind. But their time is limited, and they can only do so much.

In the context of self-paced learning, AI would be able to sustain longer, more meaningful, and personalized warm-up activities. It would be able to offer personal attention, talk with learners, and recommend activities that will offload stress and create better conditions for learning. AI-powered gamification can form part of an extremely effective motivational design schema, which is again tailored to each learner’s individual needs over time. 

AI will not replace good trainers, and content is still king 

Artificial intelligence will not replace good teachers and trainers. It will never match their ability to spot difficulties and devise remedial strategies, nor will it approximate the positivity and enthusiasm a good trainer can instill.

Separately, a learning initiative where quality of content isn’t of the utmost importance remains inconceivable. No AI can offer a quality learning experience if it isn’t supported by top-notch content.  

Next: a large-scale experiment 

Ok, I’ll let you into a secret. Since that chat with my good friend the publisher, I’ve been talking about this matter with nearly everyone at CCS, as well as professionals from the field of AI. An exciting concept is being developed, and we feel that we’re on a verge of a major breakthrough – both in educational and commercial terms.

With AI-powered projects, concept proofing and testing is especially complex. In time, we will be looking to recruit teachers and trainers to become part of this effort. If you want to be contacted when the time is ripe, just click below. 

Please contact me when you can show me what you’re doing for AI-powered education. 

Get in touch! 

We’re always available to chat about AI-powered education or any other eLearning matter 🙂