Application And Development Of Education In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence

Application and development of education in the era of artificial intelligence
By (Name)
Institution
Course
Date
Application and development of education in the era of artificial intelligence
The future of education is linked with the advancements of new technologies and the computing capabilities of the new intelligent machines. In this regard, the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) create both new possibilities and challenges for the teaching fraternity (Holmes, Bialik, and Fadel, 2019). AI has the potential to change the governance and architecture of the education system. AI is transforming many aspects of peoples’ lives. For instance, AI could cause a loss of jobs in some sectors while creating new opportunities. The issue of AI is not recent. In the 1950s, Alan Turing proposed a solution to the question regarding when a system made by humans becomes “intelligent.” He proposed the imitation game which is a test involving a human listener making a distinction between conversations with a machine or another human being. If it is not possible for the human listener to detect the difference, then that system can be termed as AI (Turing, 2004). Since the 1950s, AI has made progress and is now applicable in various fields including education. The education system is not immune to such changes. It is essential to explore ways of applying and developing education to take advantage of AI.
The Nature of Education
While seeking to apply and develop education in the era of AI, it is essential to appreciate that education is human-centric, as opposed to technology-centric (Popenici and Kerr, 2017). Despite the advances in AI, it is may not possible to rely completely on technology in education. Humans are supposed to identify problems, identify risks and ask important questions. The current education system has been designed to involve humans tutoring as opposed to having a machine teaching learners. This may create challenges while seeking to determine the education system in the current era of AI. While it is critical to embrace technology in the classroom, it is critical to appreciate the need to build educated minds and responsible individuals that are attached to the general values of humanity. Otherwise, there is a risk that the use if AI in education could detach students from what makes them human. The development of education in the era of AI should enhance human thinking and augment the education process. It should not merely create a set of procedures for control and assessment. The education system has remained human-centric to enable both instructors and students to remain in control over the learning process. Eventually, developing education in this age of AI must ensure that individuals do not lose power and control over the algorithms running the system.
How AI enhances education
AI has found wide application in many areas including the education sector (Ma and Siau, 2018). Individuals with learning disabilities may find AI a useful tool in enhancing their learning process. Through human-AI interaction, such learners may find the process favorable. AI makes it possible to augment both teachers and learners to make the learning process more engaging. AI complements human efforts and makes the learning process more efficient. Complex computing systems can serve individuals with disabilities because of their ability to break down complicated processes. In such a case, learners with disabilities would find the learning process friendlier. This makes opens up a new era for education institutions because they can cater to the diverse needs of the students using AI.
A large number of students in higher education institutions continue to put more financial pressure on the government. A large number of students admitted to these institutions is driven by the need to democratize information. The number of international students especially in developed countries like the U.S. and the U.K. is increasing. The increase in the number of students seeking higher education is a compelling reason to employ AI. There have been numerous political calls to cut public funding for the universities. The move implies the need to cut down costs. Applying AI means that universities can spend less on outsourcing academic workforce. Intelligent machines can now take over some of the functions done by the teaching workforce which cuts down costs. Decreasing the costs of higher education can enable institutions to admit more students.
AI is capable of enhancing the skills of students, especially in technology-related areas. The use of AI in education will enable students to interact one-on-one with the technologies they will encounter at the job market. The use of AI in education is an effective way for teachers to equip learners with the skills that will help them in their careers. AI has wide application in most industries and students should become familiar with the technology early enough. AI in education promotes skill development and supports innovation that assists learners to be updated on the current developments. Students who are exposed to AI in schools will not struggle with the technology in the job market. Instead, such students will become more innovative in the application of AI in their areas of specialization.
Clark and Chalmers (1998) advocate for active externalism which demonstrates the role of the environment in enhancing cognitive processes. The authors indicate that humans tend to rely heavily on support from the environment. While individuals can perform some functions, they tend to delegate others to manipulation by external media. The use of AI is an effective way for learners to incorporate external influences on the learning process. Clark and Chalmers (1998) observe that removing the external component of a system will lead to a drop in the competence of the system. Hence, although AI is an external component of cognition, removing it will reduce the ability of students to understand. AI hence serves as an external factor that enhances the cognitive ability of learners. Applying AI in education will enable students to perform better.
Examples of AI application in education
AI has various applications in the education system. The first one is a virtual teaching assistant (TAs). These are designed to answer the frequently asked questions (FAQs) without the intervention of humans (Ma and Siau, 2018). TAs can be programmed to answer routine questions that students typically ask each semester. For instance, if some of the FAQs are the length and format of the written assignments, then the non-human TA can try to answer these questions. The advantage with AI TAs is that they are in a position to respond to more questions that the human tutors. As a result, the instructors can spend more time preparing for the course activities as opposed to answering routine questions.
Another application of AI in education is intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). These are designed to customize the learning experience to suit the needs of the individual students (Ma and Siau, 2018). They customize the learning experience based on pre-existing knowledge and the learning style of the learners. A majority of the ITS systems commence the instructional process by establishing the knowledge a learner possess through an assessment. The system then compares what the students know and what they are supposed to know then delivers an appropriate instruction. With customized learning, it is much easier for the education system to be more relevant to the needs of the learners.
The last application of AI in education is on smart education. It utilizes AI technology to facilitate education to be more effective, flexible and comfortable (Ma and Siau, 2018). An education system needs to be flexible to accommodate the needs of the various learners. In addition, learners need to feel comfortable with the instruction methods used. Using AI to drive smart education is an effective way to ensure that education meets the individual needs of the students.
Ethical implications
It is no secret that AI will change the world and alter every aspect of our lives. In education, the expectation is growing, and with the few applications of AI already incorporated in this sector showing positive results, it is impossible to think of th...