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In his 1967 novel The Vendor of Sweets, R.K. Narayan introduced his readers to the idea of a ‘story writing machine’, which is like a typewriter, with buttons to choose genre, character, emotions and some other features, which can be pressed to automatically print a story. One must assume that the idea was to show the naive image of the character who did this. But in less than six decades, we may be almost there, thanks to technologies like ChatGPT and other such Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools that can not only write stories but also do other things like self-driving cars and robots in factories that make other complex things. The jury is still out on whether AI will replace us in doing the menial tasks we do today, like driving cars or working in factories or even performing complex surgeries. But in many cases, such as surgeries, we are already halfway there. So how about teaching? An AI teacher might seem like a bit much, even for the most open-minded, but we may be closer to an automated classroom than we think.
Since the possibility is on the horizon, the questions that need to be answered are why we should do it and what changes can we expect if we create AI teachers. Today’s education landscape presents a variety of models, and
There is a clear gradation in quality that is based on the price one is willing to pay. From schools to colleges and other higher education institutions, the quality of education provided can vary quite widely depending on the student-teacher ratio, among other factors. The lower this number, the better it is for the student’s learning process and the quality of outcomes. This premium price is largely driven by the forces of supply, demand, and affordability, which means the price one can pay for it.
An AI teacher could become a great leveller or, shall we say, democratiser of learning, meaning that the opportunity to access high-quality education could become universal. Students would have access to a teacher at any time of the day or at any location, even at their home. How we teach could also change quite dramatically. For example, some of the theories we learn in physics could be better explained on playgrounds, making the ‘content’ much more rich and interactive.
However, when we have such technological breakthroughs, there will be some uncertainties too. For example, if there are teachers, we can be quite sure that apart from the subjects they teach, they will also inculcate good values and ensure that the children are on the right track. One can argue whether we are ready to let a machine raise our children to the extent of the time they spend in school. For example, many of the values we hold dear are linked to our experiences and what we learn in school from teachers and peers. So, the question is whether we can trust a machine to replace a human teacher.
One way to do this is to start at the top by experimenting with higher education for working professionals, where the potential risk of introducing AI teachers is much lower and manageable. For example, when we are building a nuclear power plant, we understand that it is better to be over-cautious in terms of the safety mechanisms to be built around it. It is better to move slowly and very cautiously rather than rushing because we don’t know the long-term consequences of this change, say 20 or 30 years from now. Again, take the example of nuclear energy, we learned the hard way before understanding the full potential and risks involved in making it more relevant and human-friendly today.
In a country like India, the shift to AI teachers can potentially bring about a huge change by eliminating some of the most persistent challenges, such as inequality in quality of education, access and opportunities, and the huge demand-supply gap we face in critical sectors like higher education. Over eight lakh students take the IIT JEE exam for about 18,000 available seats, and recently, even those who graduate from such premium institutes do not find the jobs they expected. With the speed at which AI is getting involved in so many aspects of life, it may be naive to think that it will not impact education in a very fundamental way. Perhaps even more naive than RK Narayan’s character who came up with a story-writing machine six decades ago.
This article is written by Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-Founder of Scaler.
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