Technology & Innovation

The artificial teacher

February 19, 2016

Global

February 19, 2016

Global
Our Editors

The Economist Intelligence Unit

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The same technology that helps advertisers learn about your interests could be used to supercharge education

Put simply, the digital advertising industry is based on the idea that understanding what people are interested in allows you to present marketing messages that encourage them to buy.

The giants of online media, most notably Google and Facebook, invest heavily in technology to make this process more effective. Recently, they have directed much of this investment into artificial intelligence, so their systems can interpret customer behavior, through clicks, emails, social media postings and photos, more effectively. Indeed, this is one reason why AI – or more specifically, machine learning –  is seeing a resurgence at the moment.

This use of machine learning, in which computers develop the ability to spot patterns in data over time, to create unique user experiences has an obvious secondary application: education.

In many countries, teachers struggle to give pupils individual attention in the face of ever-growing class sizes.  Meanwhile, experts credit the success of Finland’s education system, which has risen through global rankings since the early 2000s, to an absence of standardisation, small class sizes and the freedom for teachers to try new things and see what works. Machine learning could be used to apply this approach on a larger scale.

The technology already exists. One example is ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces), a machine-learning system that is being piloted in classrooms around the world. The software guides students through learning materials at their own pace, assessing their performance at every stage to optimise the outcome.

Students start at the same point, but after the initial practice questions the machine-learning algorithm analyses responses to determine which concepts are well understood and which are not. In response, it tweaks the next set of learning materials to strengthen those areas that need improvement. Put simply, the machine learns how the students learn, and teaches them accordingly.

The ALEKS system, whose creator was acquired by educational publisher McGraw Hill in 2013, presents teachers with a dashboard that displays student progress and performance. The idea is that a teacher can roam the room and troubleshoot with students who need help. If the dashboard reveals that many students are stuck on the same thing, she can go over the material with them in more detail.

As such, ALEKS is positioned as tool to make teachers more effective. As with any discussion of AI in the workplace, however, there is of course speculation that it could reduce the need for teachers.

However, in a by the Oxford Martin School, part of Oxford University, on the computerisation of jobs, teachers ranked among the least likely to be replaced by computers. There is clearly more to a child’s education than factual learning, and social interaction is indispensable.

Still, artificial teachers could be truly revolutionary. As more data on pupil performance is collected and analysed, their ability to maximise learning could stretch far beyond what is currently possible. They may even preclude the need for exams: when a computer already knows how well a student understands the material, what is the point of the standardised test?

While some are worrying how humans will compete with artificial intelligence in future, it is interesting to note that, by supercharging education, AI could help humans keep their edge.

Would you trust your children’s education to an artificial teacher? Share your thoughts on the Dassault Systèmes .

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