Artificial Intelligence in Schools – Why We Need It and Why We Won’t Manage Without It in the Future

The use of artificial intelligence for learning purposes and even in schools themselves is often a controversial and debated issue in society. For some, it sparks fear that teachers will lose their jobs and computers will take over education. Others see it as technological progress and appreciate its positive impact in personalizing learning and reducing the time needed to search for and absorb information. Moreover, for many students, the use of technology brings positive emotions and strengthens their curiosity to engage in lessons.

At the education and technology conference The Bett Show in the United Kingdom, experts from around the world presented research on the use of artificial intelligence in the education sector. The results they shared fully align with my own view – AI tools are needed by both students and teachers.

The Majority of Students Use AI Tools

I myself have been interested in the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on teaching and learning for more than 10 years. Opinions about this tool vary widely—from “fantasy” and “learning is impossible without a teacher” to “it completely transforms learning and the role of the teacher.”

A study conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that currently as many as 89% of students in the country use artificial intelligence to complete school assignments.

Teachers who use AI in their lessons have observed that 57% of students receiving such input show greater engagement in the learning process, while 34% demonstrate improved academic results. Around 90% of teachers using AI are convinced that it stimulates students’ curiosity and creative thinking.

According to data from AIPRM, a Chrome extension for ChatGPT and related research, around two-fifths (44%) of students worldwide actively used artificial intelligence last year, with more than half (54%) using it for school and/or homework. The most common AI tools used by teachers in education are educational games, applied by more than half of teachers. In primary education, the most frequently used AI tools are virtual learning platforms such as Google Classroom, with 80% of teachers using them at least once a week.

Nearly two-fifths (39%) of students use AI driven by curiosity and the desire to try it out.

About half (51%) of teachers believe that the use of artificial intelligence in education will have a positive impact, compared to just over one-fifth who hold negative views.

Last year, our school organized training sessions for teachers on the use of AI in education, during which several tools were introduced. Considerable attention was given to ChatGPT—how this tool can be used for lesson preparation and more. Currently, staff members who wish to use this tool are provided with access to the paid version of ChatGPT.

In conversations with teachers, I notice that they also teach students how to properly formulate questions for ChatGPT. The goal is simple: to help students understand that this tool is not a search engine and that not all the information it provides is necessarily correct. Since ChatGPT gathers information from across the internet, inaccuracies do occur. Ultimately, it is important to consult sources and critically evaluate the information received.

The Teacher’s Involvement Will Remain Essential

We live in a time when AI is transforming not only everyday life and work in the adult world but also students’ ability to understand, process, and later reproduce the information they receive. In short, AI is reshaping both teaching and learning.

For teachers, this is an era of unlimited possibilities. The use of AI helps them prepare engaging and high-quality lessons, differentiate content and tasks for students, and easily monitor progress using not only detailed statistics but also feedback. The teacher simply needs to learn how to use AI-based content platforms and how to collaborate with this new partner. An AI partner can be imagined as a teaching assistant that prepares lesson plans and slides, designs both individual and group tasks, corrects them, and finally provides both personalized and general feedback. The best part is that all of this happens exceptionally quickly.

For those who may worry, let me quickly remind you that the teacher’s involvement in this process is still essential. The teacher’s task is to critically and creatively coordinate all AI-driven actions and, most importantly, to make the lesson engaging for students—actively involving them and motivating them to reach their goals.

For students, this is an era of engaging and personalized learning. Based on the material provided by teachers, AI generates topics and content that the student genuinely wants to learn and enjoys exploring. The assistant assigns tasks tailored to each student’s abilities and knowledge, provides opportunities to check learning results, and offers detailed, personalized feedback.

The Value of AI in Learning Will Grow Hundreds of Times Over

What matters most for both teacher and student is that everything happens through active, real-time interaction with a virtual teacher. This teacher may take on a human-like form, communicates directly with each student, and, by getting to know them better, can provide even greater support in mastering the necessary knowledge.

All of this is not the future. It is already happening now.

More and more teachers around the world are beginning to apply artificial intelligence in their work.

Research and surveys have shown that teachers are increasingly using AI tools. For example, a 2021 survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center revealed that many teachers were using AI tools for tasks such as assessment, providing feedback, and personalizing the learning experience. The percentage of teachers using these tools continues to grow worldwide as technology becomes more deeply integrated into educational institutions.

The effectiveness and value of AI tools for students will increase hundreds of times over. Meanwhile, teachers will no longer complain about the lack of textbooks, oversized classes, exhaustion from lesson preparation, or the time-consuming task of grading student work. Teaching students with different abilities will no longer be a challenge. Their lessons will become increasingly engaging, meaningful, and, most importantly—effective.

For everyone else, there will remain schools that are firmly attached to the belief that everything students need to learn can be found in textbooks. Their task, then, will be to ensure that students are able to effectively reproduce during exams what is written in those textbooks. Such schools will continue to exist in large numbers—and for a long time to come. It has been this way in the past, and it will remain so in the future.

What matters to me is that more schools realize we have entered a world where learning happens everywhere and at all times, in hybrid formats. A teacher, working alongside a virtual AI partner, creates engaging, meaningful, and productive learning experiences at the highest level of personalization.

This is how we will build a society capable of ensuring Lithuania’s competitiveness and progress!

Founder and Director of Erudito Lyceum, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nerijus Pačėsa