[seidleroni]

I understand the skepticism around AI in ed tech, and I think people have the right to be skeptical of this being portrayed as a "cure all". Saying that it is of no value because nobody will pay for it and the kids wont learn from it because they're hungry does not capture the whole picture. I was never a great student because I had trouble focusing in class, but if I had this to guide me through my homework, I believe I would have been a much better student. Looking at math homework and having no idea how to even start and no resources to help is very different than looking at the problem and working with AI to help you understand how to attack the problem. Sure, you can't turn every single kid into a math wiz, but I think there is a real possibility that this will help almost every kid become better at math than they would have. Assuming this is low cost, I think many parents would be very willing to pay for it.

[peppertree]

If you have ever worked with children you will realize vast majority of them lack the willpower to learn new things and seek out answers. A good teacher can provide the social accountability and guide them, but it's not something you can put on auto pilot with AI.

[pictureofabear]

This is the crux of the problem in my opinion.

Children look to adults as role models for what to learn and why. We already know that children respond better to role models who have similar ethnicities and backgrounds to them, let alone being the same species.

AI cannot and will never be able to provide this motivation to learn, which is what kids actually need, because it is not human.

[relativ575]

> AI cannot and will never be able to provide this motivation to learn, which is what kids actually need, because it is not human.

We hear all the time about digital addiction, gamification, FB, Tiktok, etc. Addiction is arguably more difficult to achieve than motivation. AI will be able to motivate people just fine

[threecheese]

Using modern digital gamification to reinforce learning outcomes, a-la TikTok , will probably produce a generation of absolutely brilliant, weird psychopaths.

[cdrini]

At the same time, I think asking a person or a parent requires much more will power than asking a computer (for whatever reason -- but part of it is just that a teacher might not have as much time as a child needs/wants). I do agree the social accountability of a good one-on-one teacher is the most ideal -- for me I got that from my parents/siblings. But lots of folks don't have access to that, and school systems don't have the resources to supply that, so maybe AI might be a good middle ground.

[klunger]

Yes, this.

I am about a month away from finishing my teaching degree (math). My experience so far AND the best research is extremely clear on the following:

Kids learn best by working in small groups with other kids.

These groups need to be gently guided by adults, but they should mostly be left to do a lot of independent exploration and discussion amongst themselves. The teacher is there to prod discussion in productive directions, provide feedback, answer questions, give hints and encouragement where needed. Admittedly, AI could do certain part of the teachers job, but it can never replace a peer group.