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The challenges of using AI in education

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Mercy Awofiranye
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Since there are many benefits educators and students stand to gain when they adopt AI in their activities, it also comes with its challenges. In simple terms, Artificial intelligence (AI) “is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. 

Additionally, in recent times, AI has proved helpful as it has had a positive influence on various aspects and enhanced the quality of human life through the establishment of search engines like Google Search, interactive systems like Siri and Alexa, automobile productions like self-driving cars and creative tools like ChatGPT and AI art.

Read also: 10 Fellowships For Underrepresented Groups: Addressing Equity And Diversity In Academia 

Benefits of AI in Education

In education, the benefits of AI are also numerous. It is currently changing the face of education by creating better systems that both teachers and students can adopt to make their work a whole lot easier. Some of the ways artificial intelligence is changing the face of education include: 

  • The creation of a feedback system for both students and teachers. This will help them identify their mistakes and then explore ways they can improve.
  • Additionally, the emergence and the adoption of AI in education have facilitated global access to quality education. Students and teachers can now access real-time information anywhere in the world with just a smartphone and internet connection.
  • Furthermore. Research that used to seem to take the longest time with rigorous readings and flipping through pages has now been made easier through the adoption of artificial intelligence in education. 
  • Another important area where artificial intelligence has once again proved helpful is the facilitation of the learning process. Students can not employ it to improve their learning process so they can further understand a subject matter. 
  • Moreover, the development of AI-powered braille tutor applications is now used to make the learning process easier for students with special needs. These applications are capable of converting physical braille characters into digital text via optical character recognition (OCR).
  • Again, the adoption of AI in the educational sector has helped with time management. Research is now faster using creative tools. 

Read also: The Benefits Of Using AI In Education

Challenges of using AI in education

Consequently, this is not to say that there are no downsides in the adoption of artificial intelligence in the educational sector. We’d discuss the challenges/downsides of adopting AI in the educational sector. However, subscribe to our newsletter for more updates. Some of the challenges of using AI in the educational sector include: 

1. Limited Ease of Accessibility

While there are many benefits AI has to offer, the permanent integration of artificial intelligence in education will lead to limitations for some students. In developed countries, issues like a smartphone, other forms of gadgets, and internet connections that help aid the activities of artificial intelligence are easily accessible. However, for students from developing countries or countries suffering serious crises, this certainly isn’t the case. Socio-economic status and geographical location can serve as a limitation in the adoption of artificial intelligence in education. 

2. Inadequate Preparedness of Teachers

Additionally, the integration of AI into the educational system will mean that teachers will need to be adequately trained and well-prepared for the purpose to be actualized. However, this will not be as easy as it seems; some demands will have to be met. Also, unifying the system means it will have to be adopted globally. Consequently, the educational systems of many countries will not be able to accommodate this development. 

3. Ethical Issues

Another important challenge that will be encountered in adopting AI in the educational system is the issue that concerns ethics and transparency in data collection and use. The integration of artificial intelligence in education raises ethical concerns as AI relies on data to function effectively. Issues like personal data concentration, data privacy and ownership, confidentiality, transparency, and ethics a lot of work still has to be done. 

4. Inability of students to explore and attain their full potential. 

Furthermore, if students become overly dependent on artificial intelligence, it would limit their abilities critical thinking skills and cognitive abilities. Students will become very dependent on machines. This will hinder them from learning what it means to multitask or push themselves to be creative. This therefore limits their ability to attain their full potential and explore their abilities as their assignments will now be made easier through the use of artificial intelligence. 

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5. High Cost of Implementation

The maintenance of technological devices can be very expensive. The implication of integrating AI into the educational system means that the education budget of the country will rise. The expenditure on schools will also be on the high side. Countries that cannot adapt to the innovation will end up lagging. 

6. Facilitates technology addiction

Again, the adoption of artificial intelligence in the educational system will in turn foster technology addiction among students and even teachers. Students and teachers will now have to use smartphones, iPads, or laptops for educational activities rather than pen, paper, or books. This will lead to increased screen time and a possible addiction to technological devices. 

In conclusion, while it is agreeable that there are benefits that artificial intelligence has to offer, it is not to say that challenges do not exist. However, whilst the technology is still a work in progress, the players in the education sector should be open-minded to embrace the changes. 

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Author

  • Mercy Awofiranye is a creative writer with over five years of experience. Currently, she specializes in creating helpful content for students in the education space. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, and learning new things.

This post was last modified on September 13, 2024 11:38 am

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