AI Talk: Reimagining Education

Last week saw the unprecedented influx of funds into the AI space - $500 Billion pledged by powerful CEOs towards infrastructure to promote AI. It is unclear what exactly these funds are going to achieve. Particularly,  considering what a Chinese startup did! It released an open source model, DeepSeek R1, which outperforms or performs on par in a range of benchmarks, all other leading current AI models! This is a remarkable feat, especially given its smaller footprint. What this means for the open source ecosystem remains to be seen. One thing is clear: AI adoption is going to accelerate. In this blog, I am focusing on what the on-going AI revolution can mean for education. How might it transform? Let's hallucinate a bit - grounded in reality.

Microsoft CoPilot generated. Robot helping a student.

Evolving Landscape of AI

AI has been around for a long time. Turing Test, a concept proposed by Alan Turing to determine a machine's ability to exhibit human-like intelligence, was devised in 1949! For the better part of the past 75 years advances in AI had come in fits and starts. But ever since the Transformer architecture was invented, the pace of innovation has been relentless.

Reimagining Education

I view the problem of learning anything as two-fold: addressing the needs of learners and empowering educators. What is it we all want when we are trying to learn something? For what purpose? How do the educators fulfill this need? As the world is transforming rapidly, what skills anyone needs to do the jobs of tomorrow is anyone's guess. AI is changing the world, but it is also a powerful tool to help deal with the change.

Personal Tools

The widespread adoption of internet and cloud computing heralded the proliferation of online courses. For instance, over 100 million learners have enrolled in courses on Coursera since its inception, showcasing the immense growth of online learning platforms. And, AI has made the consumption of these content infinitely easier! Lets look at a few categories of tools in this space.

1. Personalized Learning

The Khan Academy has been developing self help material for students for almost two decades. The Khanmigo, their AI assistant is designed to be a personal assistant tutoring one and all in learning any material. It is still in the early stages of development, but as AI matures, one can imagine an all powerful tutor helping one learn any material in a systematic way. The question then becomes, what does one want to learn and why. AI capabilities are rapidly expanding, encompassing audio, video, and multilingual support. For instance, Duolingo supports learning 43 languages and has over 100 million subscribers. Learning any language is rapidly becoming a reality. And, that includes now, sign language! Of course we have all seen audio captioning and subtitles while watching a program in a streaming platform. Increasingly all of this is done completely using AI.

2. Enhanced Engagement

The learning platforms are being turbo-charged with the use of virtual reality and augmented reality. Realistic three-dimensional simulations are one of the best ways to understand concepts. K-12 education, focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is drastically changing with AI. LEGO education and Meritus are empowering kids to build and code robots powered by AI!. Is that enough to prepare the future scientists and engineers for robot-infused world? Well, it is a start.

3. Lifelong Learning

If you are an older learner, tools like NotebookLM can analyze and summarize research papers, offering concise explanations of key concepts. Beyond research papers, it can process any source document, making it particularly beneficial for older learners who may need to quickly grasp complex information without diving into dense academic texts. Not just research papers - it can explain any source document you throw at it. As these tools become more and more powerful, no one will read research papers line by line. Which is just as well, as more likely than not, the papers would have been written by AI! The brave new world will have AI writing papers for AI to review and explain. Is that scary or useful?

Tools for Educators

Teaching in the 21st century is no longer just chalk and talk—it’s click, swipe, and upload. Thankfully, educators have access to some amazing tools that make their jobs easier (and maybe even fun!). These tools can be grouped into three key categories:

1. Efficiency and Automation

   Gone are the days of wrestling with a photocopier or deciphering messy attendance logs. Tools like Google for Education and Blackbaud handle the nitty-gritty so teachers can focus on what they love most—teaching. From managing schedules to keeping resources organized, these platforms are the digital personal assistants educators didn’t know they needed.

2. Engaging Learning Experiences

   Want to create lessons that students actually look forward to? Platforms like Canva for Education let teachers design visuals that could rival a graphic designer’s portfolio. Meanwhile, H5P turns dull slides into interactive learning adventures. And for those pesky exam sessions, there are a ton of proctoring tools now available. Check here to take a peek at 20 tools!

3. Data-Driven Insights and Collaboration

   Teachers can now channel their inner Sherlock Holmes with tools like PowerSchool  to track student progress with the precision of a detective. And when it comes to fostering communication, platforms like Microsoft Teams and ClassDojo are your ultimate teaching sidekicks, making parent-teacher coordination as smooth as a well-rehearsed school play.

With these tools, education is more personalized, efficient, and collaborative than ever. Who knew teaching could involve less paperwork and more digital wizardry?

Concluding Remarks

Education is transforming before our eyes. As AI becomes more democratized and accessible, the transformation is going to accelerate. Tools like personalized learning platforms, VR-enhanced education, and AI-driven collaboration are reshaping how we teach and learn. These advancements promise greater accessibility, efficiency, and engagement for both students and educators alike. Governments should ensure equitable access to learning for all. The primary question which will haunt us all, is what should one learn? As traditional jobs disappear and new ones appear, one needs to be nimble in both body and mind. Let's embrace this AI-powered revolution in education and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in this exciting new world! Reminded of the famous quote: "You ain't seen nothing yet".

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