How AI is Reshaping Education: My Predictions

Tonight, I was talking with my colleagues about how ChatGPT is shaping the way students approach different IB subjects. These days, it’s one of the most common topics in educational environments, and apparently, no one—including governments, politicians, activists, IT experts, and school professionals—has a solid idea of how we should properly deal with AI.

The fact is that AI is out there, available to everyone for free, and it’s not even an option to push our students to ignore it. Instead, we need to learn the best ways to interact with Artificial Intelligence.

Here are my three main predictions on how AI is going to reshape schools in the near future:

1. Oral Assessments

I truly believe that education will return to its traditional method of assessment: oral exams. This remains one of the few areas where AI cannot have a significant impact, allowing educators to gain a clear understanding of how students are performing in their subjects.

For example, in math, we can prepare a set of personalized questions for each student. At the end of every unit, we could dedicate an entire week to oral assessments, gradually replacing traditional written summatives in the curriculum.

2. The Mentoring Role

No matter how knowledgeable or experienced a teacher is, it’s undeniable that AI is more precise, more efficient, and far more informed than any human educator. It is improving every day, and soon, we will likely see even more natural versions of ChatGPT integrated into human-like robots, making them more relatable than ever before.

It’s a tough and unfair battle! However, in my opinion, what will still differentiate us from AI is emotion. We can form emotional connections with our students, making them love and trust us. At least for now, it’s uncommon to feel a deep emotional attachment to a robot or an AI entity.

As a result, the mentoring and coaching aspects of teaching will become more important than ever. In the near future, I believe teachers will take on more of a supervisory role, helping students manage their time, stay organized, and use the right resources to learn efficiently. Meanwhile, less time will be spent on simply transmitting subject content.

3. Physical Activities

Another area that AI has not yet significantly influenced is fitness and sports. Engaging in physical activities like dancing, going to the gym, running, hiking, and playing football brings us pure happiness and well-being.

I believe schools will start prioritizing physical activity more than ever in their weekly schedules. As AI takes over more cognitive tasks, it will become even more important to maintain a healthy balance between mental and physical well-being.

Final Thoughts

AI is transforming the way we live, think, and behave, and it’s not hard to imagine that it will eventually change who we are as a species. While it’s difficult to predict the future, one thing is certain: we cannot afford to ignore new technologies if we want to build a better life.