Few would have imagined a few years ago pupils studying remotely from their bedrooms, teachers teaching remotely via video call and parents suddenly becoming teaching assistants in class. But then came the COVID-19 pandemic and everything changed. Schools could not operate normally and adopt modern technologies, which put EdTech companies in the middle of a big change in the education system.
Such a trend was thought to go away as schools reopened. Instead it just gained even more speed. Modern technologies are widely used nowadays for homework and assessments, attendance checks, communication in the class, and for personalized instruction. Artificial intelligence is also an integral part of the transformation, offering learners instant feedback and adaptive learning paths.
Of course, not everybody believes that this is the right direction education should be going. Some people have valid objections to the use of technologies and artificial intelligence as part of pedagogical stratagems. They are afraid that the amount of meaningful interaction between teachers and pupils will decrease, students will become dependent on modern technologies, and they will get incorrect or over-simplified answers to their problems. Data protection and inequality in schools with modern technologies is another major issue.
But such concerns don’t necessarily make AI a bad thing.
They only suggest that technology works well when humans are sensible enough in how they use it. That’s why many educational institutions are turning to SAP learning management systems (LMS) consultants for advice on building learning environments in which technology supports educators, rather than replaces them.
So can artificial intelligence replace teachers entirely?
Short answer: No.
The longer answer is much more interesting.
AI is Great for Repetitive Tasks
Let’s be honest. Teachers spend an ungodly amount of time doing work that has very little to do with actual teaching.
Grading quizzes, preparing lesson materials, checking attendance, creating practice questions, replying to common questions and writing reports takes hours every week.
AI is able to do most of these mundane jobs. For instance, it can generate personalised worksheets in seconds, summarise student performance, suggest further practice exercises and grade multiple-choice tests automatically.
When schools invest in digital transformation, they almost always assess tools alongside the best ERP systems for K-12 schools, both of which help streamline administrative tasks and increase operational effectiveness. Technology that takes care of repetitive tasks gives teachers something precious: more time for their students.
Teaching Is More Than Just Imparting Knowledge
Here’s where the conversation becomes more interesting.
Yes, AI could probably handle a significant portion of education if it were just about disseminating facts. However, teaching has never been limited to imparting knowledge.
How would you describe your favorite teacher from school? Most probably, they are not the best teacher you’ve ever had just because they were exceptionally good job of explaining grammar or multiplication.
You love them and still remember them fondly because they made learning fun, supported you when you were having difficulties, acknowledged your accomplishments, or pointed out when something seemed off. This is the aspect of teaching AI cannot possibly replicate.
Machines do not sense the anxious student who becomes unusually quiet out of nowhere.
They do not see the lack of confidence in a child who still gives the right answers.
And they cannot motivate students simply through enthusiasm, humor, empathy, or human touch. These characteristics are still very much exclusive to humans.
Every Student Learns in Their Own Way
There’s one place where AI really shines—and that’s in personalisation.
In a class of thirty students, every student has different strengths, interests and pace of learning. Some catch on fast. Some may need more explanation or different examples.
An analysis of the way learners learn and personalized exercises could be generated using AI. And that’s extremely helpful in itself.
But personalization isn’t just about algorithms.
Teachers know the background of the students’ families, dynamics in the classroom, mental state, cultural background, and numerous other aspects of learning on a daily basis.
A recommendation engine will spot patterns in the data. A teacher knows who the data belongs to. Those are two completely different skillsets and are hence incomparable.
AI Should Be a Teaching Assistant, Not the Teacher
Perhaps we’ve been asking the wrong question all along.
Rather than asking whether AI will replace the teacher, perhaps we should be asking how AI can assist the teacher in becoming an even better teacher.
Instead of pondering upon whether AI will take the place of teachers, we should be thinking about how AI can help the teachers become better teachers.
Consider a class where the time spent making lesson plans is reduced by half.
Consider getting immediate feedback on which students need extra attention.
Consider automatic generation of different activities for the students working at different levels.
This isn’t some futuristic concept.
They are real applications of technology that can lessen workloads without eliminating human interaction.
When teachers find themselves spending less time engaged in paperwork, they get to interact more with their students.
Everybody wins.
Students Still Need Human Role Models
The process of education affects much more than just academic learning.
Regular schooling educates children to be communicative, cooperative, resilient, inquisitive, ethical, self-confident, and emotionally mature.
It all happens through dialogue, cooperation, common experience, and trustful relationships.
AI can provide answers.
Teachers pose questions that inspire different thinking.
AI can provide explanations.
Teachers encourage students to challenge ideas, solve problems in a creative way, and think independently.
All these experiences stay with people for a long time after their classes.
Final Thoughts
AI is revolutionizing the field of education in unique ways, but this is no reason to fear every innovation. AI is just another tool that, when used carefully, has the potential to enhance learning, just like calculators, computers, and the internet before it.
But this does not mean that one can relate education with efficiency. Students require encouragement, persistence, guidance, responsibility, and someone who restores in them faith in their capabilities, rather than stating obvious facts.
AI is definitely helpful in class management, automation of boring processes, and personalized learning. And the impact is surely humongous.
But doing away with teachers completely? That seems highly unlikely.
From where we see it headed, AI and teachers won’t likely be the only ones in charge of education in the coming years.
The future will belong to classrooms where they’ll both cooperate, using technology to deal with routine chores and educators to do what they’ve always done best: raising competent, self-assured individuals out of children.
