Washington, D.C., there are policy events where speakers drone on and thick reports are handed out. Then there was the day the White House invited a robot.
Figure 03, a humanoid robot that converses in several languages and responds to questions and emotions, was the headlining attraction at a White House event hosted by Melania Trump to bring attention to education. But the real headline here is AI. AI as your child’s next teacher. AI as a replacement for traditional teaching.
That sounds far-fetched. It almost feels that way.
Figure 03 spoke, answered questions and even changed languages mid-sentence. You can watch the full demonstration here. And here’s a report on the event.
When policy leaders spoke, it was about personalization. Every child has a unique learning style and speed. A computer can tailor lessons to each child’s needs. It’s a compelling argument for AI in the classroom. In fact, AI is already being used to develop personalized learning plans. Here are some examples.
But that’s a long way from a robot running the classroom.
Some worry about teacher job losses. Teachers do more than teach content. They motivate, counsel and provide emotional support. Here’s an article about how AI will transform education.
And then there’s the carbon footprint of running the computers.
But the march toward AI in education seems inevitable. The joke going around is that if your math teacher was this patient, you might have actually passed calculus. It was funny. But it’s also true.
So, the future of education? No chalkboard. Maybe no teacher. An algorithm. Sensors. And a robot that says, “did that make sense? Maybe I should explain it another way.”
And you know what? That might just be the most human of all.