What The Future Holds For Artificial Intelligence In Education

In a recent studyconducted by TeamLease Edtech, with insights from 6,313 educators across all levels of educational institutes, it was discovered that around 62 per cent of them employ generative artificial intelligence in teaching, course preparation, and student engagement.

The study also revealed that 65 per cent of educators recognise Gen AI’s potential in transforming learning experiences and personalised education. At the same time, 64 per cent of educators were of the view that AI is crucial in preparing students for an AI-dominated future.

However, very interestingly, 88 per cent of the respondents underscored the need for regulations to prevent negative implications arising from the use of the technology.

These findings bring to light the need for everyone, not just teachers, to be better informed about AI. This will not only empower them but will help them bring in self-regulatory practices in the absence of any regulations.

It is important to note that in the absence of regulations from the government, students are already drawn to the use of AI as it aids the learners in conveniently completing tasks, assignments, and homework, with results that are not always in keeping with learning outcomes.

“Students have started using AI for numerous tasks in educational settings, ranging from seeking outputs from AI to write answers or setting a template for an answer to researching for the updated information on various topics, which traditional books don’t have at times,” said Anibarsana, a college student based out Delhi.

However, she highlighted that in her experience with AI, she discerned AI to be unreliable. “I realised that data in AI can be updated in real-time. So even when I was looking for solutions for math problems that are supposed to have a definitive answer, it showed varied results,” Anibarsana added.

AI’s integration into education and learning will require a huge overhaul in the apparatus, which won’t be possible with a snap of a finger. At the same time, it is unlikely that students can be weaned away from its use, given the digitisation and internet penetration the country is experiencing and will continue to experience in the near future.

India’s active internet base is forecast to grow to 900 million by 2025, suggests a joint report by industry body IAMAI and market data analytics firm Kantar. As of September 2022, the total number of Internet subscribers stood at 850.95 million, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority.

More importantly, India is the second largest contributor to ChatGPT’s website traffic with a share of 7.63 per cent, according to Similarweb. Therefore, as the popularity of AI grows, it is likely to bear a toll on a developing nation like India, especially in the education sector.

AI has been under a cloud since its inception. It would be prudent to listen to the doubters rather than terming their skepticism to be motivated by a mindset clouded by ‘The Terminator’ film series. Now that AI has penetrated educational institutes, it is imperative to empower the stakeholders with knowledge, regulations, and safeguards.

In September last year, UNESCO flagged concerns about the use of Generative AI and called for a regulatory framework for its use in education and research. The United Nations educational body also asserted the need for setting a threshold age limit for students using AI.

Experts and stakeholders point out that bringing AI into the world of education can also heighten the digital divide. They point out that regulation of the sector may also fall behind the rapid increase in the use of AI. The issue of disregarding the safeguards of copyright law has also been flagged by many as AI bypasses the owner’s consent to use and collect data from a particular work.

“One important thing one must remember when thinking about AI is that it is in no way neutral. It is plagued with biases,” said Brinda Sarma, English Lecturer at Arya Nursing College.

Sarma pointed out that AIs such as Chatgpt never cite their resources. “In scenarios where AI doesn’t have a response (to absurd, unrealistic questions), it makes up answers. In such cases, neither is the data sourced ethically nor is its accuracy guaranteed. Students who use such applications can have a flawed understanding of the subject,” she added.

Some experts also highlighted that conventionally when an invention or a new technology is brought to market, it can be subjected to abuse. “There is a necessity that such abuse is deterred through regulations and enforcement if need be. In the absence of such regulations, we will witness all kinds of chaos arising from impacted students, educators, and other stakeholders in the education sector,” said Sunil Savaram, CEO of Plural Technology.

“Areas where regulations would be required extend to promoting the ethical use of AI, which includes the use of copyrighted content for Training AI models. Regulation could also help avoid any political, religious, or race-based bias from the results of any AI model. Regulations can also help in ensuring skill development goals and outcomes are met,” Savaram further added.

On the legal front, the adoption of AI would also intersect with copyright law. “Our copyright law already has a fair dealing exception that allows using copyrighted material for educational purposes. But we need to reimagine this exception in the context of AI,” Pallavi Sondhi, Senior Associate, Ikigai Law, told The Secretariat.

“For instance, for AI-generated course packs or guide books for students or AI learning tools used in educational institutions. It could very well be argued that this use is fair and in the course of educational instruction. Regulators and Courts both will have to play pivotal roles in determining how far this exception can be contextualised for AI,” she added.

AI’s Potential In Educational Capacity

For researchers, AI has the potential to enhance their research by helping as an assistant as well as in laying down a methodology. It could also help in planning and reviewing the research. Whereas for teachers, AI could help in designing part of the curriculum and aiding them to make the teaching methodology more engaging for the learners.

Gen AI could also help in creating a personalised learning environment for students by expanding the bandwidth of the teachers and suggesting engaging answers.

AI also has the potential to help in enhancing linguistic learning by automatedly designing exercises and curriculum as well as assisting in using the learning. It also has the potential to enrich the writing of a learner.

As ironic as it may sound, AI potentially can assist and help artists by giving suggestions and insights about different techniques and skills. Apart from that, it can also help in teaching coding to students.

Learners with disabilities could also be helped by AI as it can assist in bridging the gap that prevails for learners with such issues. It could also help in catering to students with special needs by aiding them in a conversational model.

“One of the key value propositions of Generative AI models is the capability of being able to generate the same content to the specific context and persona, based on prompts provided. So, Generative AI tools can help learners in being able to access content that they can relate to and yet provide a deep understanding of concepts and principles,” said Savaram.

That said, it is important to note that these are just possibilities that haven’t been tested out enough to understand their implications. Therefore, it is fair to say that the implications could outweigh the potential, especially in a country like India where there is yet a large digital divide as well as linguistic and cultural diversity.

However, as companies are already bringing an AI push into their apparatus, the future of work will likely be dependent on AI to a large extent.

“Given the fact that businesses and organisations are always looking to improve their productivity and efficiencies, it is inevitable that students are trained and can leverage the new technologies including AI in the workplace,” said Savaram