How artificial intelligence can transform education: The end of traditional schooling?!

In the article “Artificial Intelligence and Education: End the Grammar of Schooling”, Yong Zhao discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) can radically change traditional education. Zhao calls for a fundamental reform of our education system, in which AI is used to promote personalised learning and to guide students in developing their unique talents and interests. According to Zhao, the standard ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of education should be replaced by an approach that puts the individual needs and strengths of the learner at the centre.

What does this reform involve?

Zhao’s vision of AI in education revolves around:

• Personalised learning: AI can develop unique learning pathways for every learner, adapting the pace and content of learning to the student.
• Problem-based learning: AI can help students identify worthwhile problems to solve and guide them through this learning process.
• Reform of the education system: AI could contribute to a more flexible system that is no longer based on age groups and standard curricula.
• The role of teachers: AI can support teachers in a role as coach and mentor, with the focus on individual guidance rather than whole-class teaching.

The link with the Feedback Companion

At Education Oracle we already work according to the principles Zhao describes in his article. Our Feedback Companion offers tailor-made feedback and feedforward, attuned to the individual student. This fits exactly with the idea of personalised learning that Zhao has in mind. The Feedback Companion strengthens the dialogue between student and teacher, with AI helping not only to give feedback, but also to develop a tailor-made learning process.

Local AI as a solution for the AI Act and GDPR

An important bottleneck that Zhao does not mention, but which does play a role in current practice, is the impact of the AI Act and the GDPR on the use of AI in education. Concerns about privacy and data security can be a barrier for schools to use AI on a large scale. At Education Oracle we offer a possible solution: running local AI. This allows schools and institutions to run AI on their own systems, without depending on cloud solutions, and therefore fully in line with privacy legislation. This lowers the thresholds for implementing AI tools such as the Feedback Companion.

Curious about more details? You can download the full article by Yong Zhao.