DUOLINGO is a popular language-learning app that offers courses in dozens of languages. MATHis is a tutoring system. Both apps were created in Carnegie Mellon University’s Learning’s laboratory. Both learning platforms use artificial intelligence in analyzing student needs by reviewing data points and create highly personalized learning plans for each student.
Duolingo has been used in language education at several universities around the world. A study of the learning app was used to determine whether it is an effective substitute for traditional language courses–the result was students who used Duolingo performed just as well as students who took traditional language courses in terms of proficiency and fluency.
The University of Surrey in the United Kingdom developed a chatbot called ‘Linguabot’ that allows students to practice their conversational skills in Spanish. It uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand and respond to students’ input, and provides feedback on pronunciation and grammar.
As artificial intelligence (AI) has been making its way into the education sector, promising to revolutionize teaching and learning, it also brings with it a new set of problems. This article centers on both AI and machine learning (ML) in the development platforms that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.
This includes neural networks, which train a computer to emulate human reasoning by which using a series of algorithms that mimic the human brain.
According to language faculty of educational institutions like Carnegie Mellon and Harvard University, AI makes education more personalized, adaptive, and efficient. Malaya Business Insight’s research on both the advantages and disadvantages AI for education are presented below.
Advantages
Personalization: Probably the most significant advantage of AI in education is personalization. Jamie Casap, former chief education evangelist at Google, told Forbes contributor Kevin P. Chavous that personalized learning is essential to providing the skills needed to fill the jobs of the future. AI can analyze a student’s learning patterns, strengths, and weaknesses and create personalized learning plans that cater to their needs. This type of personalized learning can help students learn at their own pace and achieve their goals more effectively.
Adaptability: AI can also adapt to the individual needs of students, helping them to navigate challenging concepts or difficult subject matter. For example, if a student struggles with math, AI can provide additional practice problems, explanations, and visual aids to help them understand the material better.
Efficiency: With AI, grading, and administrative tasks can be automated, freeing up teachers to focus on more meaningful tasks like engaging with students, providing feedback, and developing curriculum. AI can also help with tasks such as scheduling, attendance tracking, and communication with parents.
Accessibility: AI can help make education more accessible to students with disabilities or those who may not have access to traditional classroom settings. AI-powered virtual assistants can help students who are deaf or hard of hearing to access classroom discussions. It can automate many time-consuming administrative tasks even up to grading assignments, providing feedback on student work, or even detecting plagiarism.
Advanced analytics: AI can analyze vast amounts of data from student performance, attendance, and engagement to help teachers understand and improve their teaching methods. By analyzing student data, teachers can gain insights into what works and what doesn’t and adjust their teaching accordingly.
Disadvantages
Cost: Implementing AI technology in education can be costly. Many schools and institutions may not have the resources to invest in the necessary technology and infrastructure to support AI-powered systems.
Lack of human interaction: AI can never replace one the most important engagements in the classroom–human interaction,. The personal connections and relationships that students develop with their teachers and peers play a vital role in their learning and overall well-being. Over-reliance on AI technology could potentially hinder the development of necessary social skills.
Bias: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’ AI is only as good as the data it is trained on. If the data is biased, the AI system will also be biased. The Washington Post reports that there have been cases wherein AI-trained robots exhibited racist and sexist behavior. ringing concerns for the future of automation. Similar bias could lead to unfair or inaccurate decisions, particularly in areas such as grading, student placement, and college admissions.
Privacy concerns: AI systems collect a lot of data, including personal information about students, which raises privacy concerns. If this data falls into the wrong hands, it could be used for nefarious purposes. Schools and institutions must ensure that they have robust data protection policies and procedures in place.
Misinformation. Even the “godfather of artificial intelligence” Geoffrey Hinton is scared that AI can become a tool of misinformation, because of the amount of AI-generated photos and even deep fakes that have come out. Hinton quit the role he has held at Google for more than a decade and regrets his life’s work, due to its “profound risks to society and humanity”.
AI has the potential to revolutionize education, making it more personalized, adaptive, and efficient. However, there are also potential disadvantages to consider, including cost, lack of human interaction, bias, and privacy concerns.
The success of AI in education will depend on how effectively schools and institutions can navigate these challenges and implement AI in a way that benefits students without compromising their privacy or well-being.
