Harnessing AI tech for global advancement of education

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise global education systems and improve the experiences of educators and students alike.
AI, experts say, could transform education by enhancing personalisation, boosting digital skills and empowering teachers with advanced capacity-improving tools.
They maintain that AI can tailor educational content to individual students’ needs, interests, and learning styles. By analysing students’ performance data, AI systems have the ability to provide personalised recommendations, adaptive learning paths, and targeted interventions to help each student reach their full potential.
A new World Economic Forum report explores how artificial intelligence could revolutionise education systems and improve the experiences of educators and students alike.
The new research outlines AI’s wide-ranging potential – from personalising learning experiences, to streamlining administrative tasks, integrating AI into educational curricula and more – and finds that a responsible application of emerging technologies could herald a new era in education worldwide.
The new report, ‘Shaping the Future of Learning: The Role of AI in Education 4.0’, indicates how emerging technology can help educational systems meet the increased demands for digital literacy and personalised learning environments.
Through a series of case studies, it shows how innovative AI applications are already transforming education by improving learning outcomes, empowering educators and equipping students with the skills of the future.
“AI is rapidly reshaping the global education landscape,” said Saadia Zahidi, managing director, World Economic Forum.
“If deployed safely and strategically, AI can help adapt learning to the needs of each student, enabling an innovative, scalable personalised learning experience that is vital for both student engagement and the effectiveness of educators.”
The report analyses the varied opportunities AI introduces to the education sector, emphasising the refinement of assessment processes for more timely and holistic evaluations and insights into student progress. It also details how AI can optimise educator roles by automating and augmenting up to 20% of educator clerical tasks, reducing administrative burdens and enabling more time for teachers to focus on personalisation, improving pedagogy and supporting students’ social-emotional needs.
AI’s integration into educational curricula also equips students with essential future skills and knowledge, while personalised learning content and experiences provide tailored educational pathways to meet diverse student needs. AI’s potential to dramatically improve educational outcomes necessitates a proactive approach to harness these technologies while carefully addressing the challenges they pose.
These include ensuring equitable access to technology, addressing concerns of data privacy and bias, and navigating the potential displacement of traditional teaching roles.
The report calls on policy-makers and educational leaders to integrate AI responsibly into their education systems by ensuring the protection of sensitive information through the implementation of robust data privacy and security protocols.
The paper also provides a call to action for stronger collaboration between AI developers and educators to ensure that new AI tools promote better student outcomes.
There is every reason to believe that AI has the potential to democratise education, making high-quality learning experiences more accessible, affordable, and effective for learners around the world.
However, it is essential to address ethical, privacy, and equity considerations to ensure that AI technologies benefit all students and contribute to the advancement of education globally.