With plenty of schools having finished mock examinations, and GCSE’s around the corner, how students learn is more important than ever.  In 2024, it is predicted that the future of AI will again be shaped and there is a widespread interest in how this will translate in the classroom.  Of course, opinions vary from person to person, but what is the real effect of Ai in education?

Forms of AI have existed since the 1950’s, but it’s only in recent years that its existence has become such a hot topic, equally discussed anywhere from the family dinner table to governmental offices. Boundaries and laws surrounding it have been discussed to no end, including conversations regarding the crossover between AI and how we learn and teach. Whilst there are plenty of positive routes it can take us down, we cannot forget the risks AI could potentially pose. So yes, AI can open the doors to a more personalised and individual learning experience, but what happens when things like Chat GPT are introduced, will we be sent in a dizzying spiral where children do not have the capacity to write essays for themselves?

A Year 11 student at Christ’s Hospital school stated that, ‘It aids me in looking for model answers and marking my own. However, it also scares me because I feel like the more it grows, the more ways in which it can be used, making learning more complicated.’ This view entertains the idea that AI is a very powerful tool, which is also expanding at a rapid rate. When asking a teacher of learning support for an opinion on the matter, they responded,’ I believe there is a place for AI in education and it can be a useful tool to support learning. Students should be given time and guidance on how to use it properly, especially as there are lots of common misconceptions and it can be factually incorrectly. Students should be encouraged to still form their own ideas and be curious in their learning, not just regurgitate AI responses, especially as this will not support exam practice or technique.’ For both student and teacher, the key message coming across was that AI should be used in a responsible way to make it as effective as possible.

When looking to the future of AI in education, it is important to consider how it not only affects learning, but also students work ethic and their response to the outside world. It is crucial that AI does not hinder children’s future, but instead aids it, in a way that is the most beneficial.