While the debate over artificial intelligence in education is still raging, AI is already surging through our schools.
The shows that teachers are using AI for everything from lesson planning to marking and pupil reports.
Meanwhile, students are exploring these new technologies for themselves.
But as AI transforms the education sector, one of the key questions is how might it impact structural inequalities in the system? Will it be a leveller or will it widen the gaps further?
The AI divide in education
Our research, conducted with Teacher Tapp, reveals a growing divide in training, resources and school policies around AI, with private schools and those serving more affluent communities racing ahead.
Teachers in private schools are more than twice as likely to have had formal training in the use of AI, compared with those in state schools. They are more likely to have a designated staff member with responsibility for AI, and three times more likely to have a school-wide AI strategy.
Teachers in private schools are also more likely to use AI tools at least once a day (18 per cent versus 11 per cent), and across a much wider range of tasks, than their state counterparts. There are also gaps within the state system, with schools in more affluent areas and schools rated as “outstanding” by Ofsted more likely to have systems and training in place.
With the right resources, training and policies, schools will be better placed to reap the potential benefits of AI, as well as manage the dangers.
‘Wild West’ dangers
One of the most tantalising possibilities offered by AI is personalisation - using adaptive learning technologies to tailor educational experiences to individual students.
Experts have highlighted that this could be particularly helpful for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or students from disadvantaged groups.
It could, for example, be used for on-demand tutoring, making this more affordable. The Sutton Trust has highlighted the issue of unequal access to human-delivered tutoring for many years.
However, we should guard against the possible emergence of a two-tier situation with less advantaged children getting lower-quality or under-evidenced tutoring support.
There also remains a dearth of independent evidence on the quality and effectiveness of these tools, and there are still significant question marks in terms of how they can best be used to complement human teaching.
While the AI landscape remains a fast-moving “Wild West”, we must shift as soon as possible to a model driven by evidence. Schools must be led by evidence where possible when choosing AI interventions, and government needs to support more research to improve this evidence base.
Saving teachers time
Other potential benefits of AI in schools centre on streamlining processes and saving time for teachers: automating marking and reports and the creation of teaching resources.
With excessive workload often cited as a factor in the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, which disproportionately impacts disadvantaged schools and pupils, AI has significant potential.
But, again, our research shows uneven use of AI tools across schools, with private school teachers more likely to have integrated AI across different aspects of their work.
The “digital divide” in education is well documented, with unequal access to technology caused by a variety of factors including socioeconomic background, geographical differences and linguistic barriers. AI adds another layer; access to the technology is a precondition to exploring the benefits that AI might offer.
Private schools or those in wealthier areas with more resources may be better able to afford more sophisticated AI solutions, and the sheer pace of AI expansion in schools could deepen these divides further.
The need for training
In our research, more than nine in 10 teachers had concerns about AI. The biggest worries were around pupils cheating, inaccurate or unreliable information, bias or unfairness in how AI works, and data privacy.
Despite many showing an enthusiasm to experiment with the new technologies, most teachers are not receiving adequate training to address these challenges, and many are not confident in using these tools.
To make the most of the benefits that AI offers and avoid the pitfalls, teachers need access to high-quality resources and ongoing development opportunities.
While some schools are forging ahead, government must play a role in collecting and sharing emerging best practice through training and guidance for classroom teachers and senior leaders alike.
The government must go further, however, to ensure that the upheavals wrought by AI do not further widen the gaps in access, opportunities and attainment that are already present. As the pandemic vividly demonstrated, in periods of disruption it is those with existing advantages who are best able to adapt quickly.
The impact of technology in education will depend on the action of government, and efforts within schools, over the coming years. But urgent attention is needed now to ensure that we harness AI’s potential to narrow gaps, rather than it deepening existing inequalities.
Carl Cullinane is director of research and policy at The Sutton Trust
You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on and on
