AI in Education: Opportunities and the Indispensable Role of Human Teachers

Undoubtedly, AI has had a significant impact on education in administration, instruction, and learning. While some people argue that AI poses a challenge to education, AI technology has the potential to help education flourish.

Firstly, AI can improve education equality and inclusion. With the help of AI-powered tools, individuals with disabilities, such as those with visual impairments, can access education through text-to-speech software. Additionally, AI can bridge the digital divide by providing access to education in remote or underprivileged areas. This approach aligns with the objectives of education for sustainable development and promotes equity to ensure a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.

Secondly, AI can be helpful in personalized learning, meeting students' individual needs. By analyzing students' data, including their learning style, pace, and progress, AI can provide customized learning experiences. This approach can improve learning outcomes, allowing students to learn at their own pace and in a way that suits them best. Furthermore, AI can save students from repetitive tasks such as grading and feedback, allowing them to focus on more meaningful aspects of learning. For instance, AI can help students identify gaps in knowledge and provide targeted support. Meanwhile, students can use AI-powered tools to enhance their positive learning emotions, such as virtual tutors and chatbots.

Moreover, value orientation is the basis of the aims of education. While AI can be a helpful tool for teachers, it cannot replace human teachers in classroom activities. Firstly, educators not only teach learners skills and knowledge but also cultivate their moral concepts. In this way, schools play an essential role in providing a place for educators to communicate face-to-face with learners. This interaction allows teachers to correct bad behavior in proper ways, considering cultural backgrounds, regional customs, religions, etc. By contrast, learners working individually without supervisors in virtual classrooms, such as online platforms, can omit moral concepts, leading to moral problems. This can betray the aims of education from a social-oriented perspective, which intends to develop students' sense of national identity, unity, and patriotism, as well as set up students' commitment to democracy, social justice, equality of opportunity, and the welfare of a state.

Secondly, learners, especially children, may be confused regarding the differences between human and AI teachers. Unlike AI teachers, human teachers can help children establish relationships with people. This process allows children to develop social awareness, including social skills and problem-solving abilities. Only when cultural knowledge, social knowledge, and life experience are selected and practiced by learners can they play a positive role in their personality development. On the opposite, if children lack this process, they tend to be excluded by society when they grow up.

Therefore, well-rounded students cannot be taught by automatic teachers, and children must be educated by human teachers. While AI can be a helpful tool, it cannot replace the essential role of human teachers in cultivating moral concepts and social awareness.

In conclusion, AI has the potential to improve education equality, personalized learning, and efficiency. However, human teachers are still necessary in providing face-to-face communication, cultivating moral concepts, and developing social awareness. Therefore, a combination of AI and human teachers can help students achieve better learning outcomes and become well-rounded individuals.