Teachers – Alexa or Siri? Thanks but no thanks.

“I don’t know that one”

“That is incorrect”

“Better luck next time”

“I do not understand that”

Sounds familiar?

If you happen to use AI or if you have your kids using AI for answering certain questions or for playing educational games even, AI somehow has become their teacher, hasn’t it? And this thought to me is scary because teaching is much more than imparting information or explaining concepts. A huge part of the teaching process is the element that comes from the human side of teaching in terms of interactions, dynamics and an interplay between the teachers and the students. In essence, a teacher brings empathy which AI cannot.

AI will not adapt its teaching technique if a child is scared of maths, for example. It won’t try to make maths more fun or less intimidating by including perhaps an element of play or introducing rewards and other mechanisms like recognition. AI will not be able to gauge whether a child needs extra support. It might tell you if they are underperforming, but unless asked to be informed or told about the discrepancies or concerns, it will not tell you that. It will not let you know.

And whatever happened to role models? I remember I looked up to a few teachers and till today I remember them fondly because of how they have impacted my life in more ways than one. How they gave me support and encouragement and so much love that I had the confidence to not only spread my wings but also fly.

The other day I was shocked that some people actually use AI to tell their children stories. This warrants a whole new essay for itself. But moving on, I’ll now talk about how learning does not only include absorbing and adopting information within our behaviour and thoughts.It includes a lot more than that. It includes learning values like honesty, sincerity and kindness. Values that teachers will obviously help reinforce through reward, recognition and perhaps praise.

Of course, AI is helpful when it needs to expand our knowledge base, but can you imagine Alexa, Siri or whoever it is ringing you about a child’s progress? Can you imagine them calling you about your child’s progress and to tell you about something thoughtful, for example, that the child did? The answer is in their response. It’s in your response. Think about it.

AI is good, but we must learn how to recognize its limitations and stop being lazy. Teaching is a noble profession for a reason. Let’s not make it ignoble by delegating it to AI. Boundaries people, boundaries!