Artificial Intelligence (AI) was not born yesterday; it all started in the 1950s with the work of Turing. Turing evaluated a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour similar to or indistinguishable from human intelligence. Research attempts to describe human intelligence as mechanic manipulations of symbols sowed the seeds of modern AI. The work done years ago opened up new avenues today in the 21st information era to comprehend the nature of intelligence and the capabilities of computational systems.
AI was created to perform tasks like identifying patterns, analysing vast amounts of data, making decisions, solving problems, comprehending languages, and learning from experience. Artificial intelligence bracket (AI) has numerous real-world applications across various industries.
It has transformed agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, content creation, marketing, and education. Education is crucial to shaping and fostering individual growth and community progress and to arriving at innovative solutions to address pressing global challenges, mitigate risks of global warming, supply chain disruptions, cybersecurity threats, and the digital divide, and work towards inclusive and sustainable global development.
Education, the cornerstone for a sustainable and equitable present and future, is at the cusp of transformation with the fusion and integration of artificial intelligence.
It has the potential to enhance learning experiences, expand the accessibility to remote locations, streamline administrative processes, revolutionize assessments and grading practices, and prepare learners for the future of work. The education sector can integrate artificial intelligence for amplified learner growth with judicious, robust ethical frameworks and security architecture. In society, we can observe a widespread concern towards artificial intelligence that will replace humans, but rather than replace it, it will redefine education.
With AI potential, educational institutions can create personalized learning environments with micro pathways, emotional intelligence integration, and real-time feedback loop systems that enable learners to learn by providing targeted instructional strategies, receive instant feedback, and improve simultaneously and consistently.
Singapore’s Ministry of Education has integrated AI tools like KooBits (a math learning platform) into classrooms to deliver personalized learning experiences. These tools analyze individual student performance and recommend tailored exercises to improve understanding and retention. In the US, Georgia State University uses AI to identify at-risk students early and provide personalized interventions, improving retention rates significantly.
Integrating and leveraging AI for research has proved beneficial to researchers and scientists. It generates hypotheses, creates accessible, collaborative research opportunities, and significantly enhances scientists' research predicaments and outcomes with predictive modeling. Universities in the USA and Australia use AI to predict the behavior of complex systems in sciences, enabling them to design more efficient experiments.
AI is automating repetitive administrative tasks and offering human-centric automation. The University of California, Berkeley, uses AI-powered chatbots to provide personalized support to students and help them navigate campus resources and services.
Chatbots and virtual assistants offer 24/7 support for students. UK schools use platforms like Century Tech, which employs AI to automate administrative tasks such as lesson planning and grading.
With AI now, educationalists can create content, seek virtual mentorships for learners, and hone their skills through interactive simulations. In Australia, the University of Melbourne and Stanford use AI to develop interactive simulations for medical students, enhancing their surgical skills through virtual practice and improving learning experiences. AI tools can quickly generate high-quality content, freeing professors' time to engage in interactive teaching.
In China, AI-powered platforms like Squirrel AI are replacing traditional teaching methods with adaptive learning systems. Finland has adopted AI-driven formative assessments that adapt to students’ progress, moving away from standardized testing.
Inclusion and accessibility are now a reality in emerging economies, with AI-powered tools identifying learners needing financial support and overcoming geographical barriers. In Kenya, organizations like Eneza Education use AI-powered mobile platforms to deliver educational content to students in remote areas. AI has supported international and native language-speaking students in navigating through universities and classroom learning through language access platforms.
However, it is pivotal to balance innovation with responsibility; robust and comprehensive governance frameworks must be implemented to detect and mitigate biases and transparency to ensure that all stakeholders of the education ecosystem are aware of their data usage and that their privacy is always protected. The world has to move forward with AI to embrace the new definition of an AI-human-centric approach and glean a future-ready educational ecosystem for the future of work.
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