Education 4.0: AI and the future of education
Mairéad Pratschke, Professor and SALC Chair in Digital Education at the University of Manchester, examines the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in educational settings, and outlines the four key phases of AI adoption.
As AI becomes an essential tool in industry, Pratschke argues for GAI literacy within educational institutions to ensure that both educators and students are adequately prepared for the future of work.
Pratschke divides the GAI literacy journey into distinct stages of user maturity, providing a roadmap for professional development and applications of GAI. These stages are not linear, but overlapping, and will not apply in all cases but they provide examples of GAI use in education.
The first stage of adoption, where GAI is primarily used to generate content, has already begun. AI tools are being employed to generate summaries of texts and to interact with content; and to assist with administrative tasks.
AI can be used as an assistive technology, to enhance accessibility, help students with learning challenges and disabilities, such as speech-to-text transcription and assisting students with visual impairments. Importantly, AI can promote inclusivity, providing support for neurodivergent students and those with different learning needs, helping them access and engage with content in more accessible ways.
In the second stage, as users become more competent, they collaborate actively with the technology, creating their own AI tools and defining how they behave. Pratschke highlights the potential for such tools for active learning, where AI takes on the role of creative collaborator and working alongside students and educators in the learning process. Pratschke has conceptualised this design approach as ‘generativism’, which refers to the collaboration between humans and GAI, as well as generative learning theory. For example, GAI chatbots can now be used to assist students in research, take on the role of tutor, or as a partner in ideation.
The third stage in AI use involves the development of what Pratschke describes as “intelligent communities”, where humans and AI systems work together in teams or communities of humans and AI experts. In education, this could mean that AI takes on roles such as a peer, mentor, or guide, helping learners navigate complex subject matter, or as a co-researcher or co-instructor that supports and works alongside academics. Pratschke emphasises that GAI tools can take on multiple roles within the classroom, ranging from tutor to facilitator to co-instructor. For instance, AIs can simulate real-world scenarios, offering students opportunities to practice difficult conversations, such as interviews or negotiations.
This capability, she says, is particularly beneficial for skill-based training, such as language learning, public speaking, or conflict resolution. By using GAI tools in varied roles, educational institutions can leverage its capabilities to offer richer, more varied learning experiences that would be difficult to achieve with traditional methods alone.
AI as a collaborative learning partner
In the education sector, the transition from using AI to simply generate content to using it as a learning partner is becoming increasingly important, as the educator moves from being a passive consumer of GAI output to an active collaborator and designer of the tool itself. Pratschke notes that early experiments have shown that when AI is used as a co-instructor in classrooms, it can – when properly designed – enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes. Similarly, the use of GAI tools for student support have also been shown to increase student satisfaction, by providing 24-hour support and answering questions.
AI has the potential to facilitate a more personalised approach to learning that tailors educational content to a student’s pace and needs. Using data analytics, AI can identify gaps in knowledge and provide adaptive content targeted to address these gaps, which allows for a level of 1:1 help which would be difficult for an instructor in a traditional classroom setup to achieve.
This approach aligns with the growing emphasis on lifelong learning, as it allows learners to progress at their own speed, ensuring that education is not just one-size-fits-all but rather responsive to individual needs.
Preparing educators for AI in the classroom
On ensuring AI literacy among educators, Pratschke states that, as AI technologies continue to evolve, the workforce must develop the skills necessary to interact effectively with AI systems. She argues that AI literacy should be a core component of teacher training, and that educators must not only learn how to use AI tools but also understand how AI models work and how to teach students to collaborate with AI. This includes teaching students how to use AI ethically, how to interact with AI in productive ways, and how to critically evaluate AI-generated content.
Some predict that the role of the teacher will change as AI becomes more prevalent in the classroom. Teachers will no longer be the sole source of knowledge, but rather facilitators of learning, helping students navigate the vast resources available through AI and guiding them in using AI responsibly and creatively. This is the model of education that Pratschke describes as the “new hybrid”.
Concluding, Pratschke reiterates that AI presents both challenges and opportunities for the Irish education sector. While AI has the potential to support student learning, she says that it also requires careful integration into educational practices.
Pratschke urges policymakers, educators, and industry leaders to collaborate in preparing the next generation of learners for a future where AI is a central part of everyday life. By fostering AI literacy, investing in professional development for educators, and with the careful design of tools for use in intelligent communities, she says that Ireland can lead the way in ensuring that AI serves as a tool for empowerment of educators, rather than the automation of education.
