AI and education (AI goes to school!)

The authors of this article, Filip Tichý (Partner at Grant Thornton Slovakia) and Jakub Chudík (Co-Founder at Assetario), take you through the world of artificial intelligence in the AI Breakfast series. This article was written without the use of AI.

One of the areas where artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have the greatest impact, and where it has the greatest potential for fundamental transformation, is undoubtedly education. AI visionaries see educational apps that teach children individually, in their own language, in a playful way and at their own pace. Thanks to this technology, education will become accessible to the whole world and every child will have access to education. Likewise, the new AI era will require completely different cognitive abilities. The division into thematic subjects and memorization of information will be unnecessary and should be replaced. The skills that will be important (and that the educational process should aim to develop) will be: critical thinking, the ability of reflection, problem solving, the ability to synthesize, design thinking, creativity, and the development of emotional intelligence. The ability to adapt and apply knowledge in new areas (transfer learning) will also be much more important. The principle, that a person studies one profession and then practices it for the rest of their life will, no longer apply. Professional careers will be about constant change and about even greater cooperation with new technologies.

Could this be a return to the origin of the word "school"? This word comes from the ancient Greek word scholē (σχολή), which meant free time, rest, participation in philosophical debates, and space for mental activity. The ancient Greeks did not perceive education as preparation for a specific profession, but as a search for the meaning of life, inner development, and the fulfilment of one's own potential. Will artificial intelligence return us to this original concept of education?

We do not expect that in 5-10 years, the world will turn into a technological utopia thanks to AI, where people will not have to work and will be able to devote themselves solely to philosophizing and searching for the "true" meaning of life. However, this historical perspective offers a powerful message by pointing out that education should not be a mechanical process of memorization, but should equip young people with the skills necessary for self-development, with an emphasis on critical thinking, the ability to reflect, and a sense of humanity in the digital world. Modern education must also grapple with the dilemma of how to teach people to create added value in a world, where all information will be available at their fingertips, and where everyone will have their own personal genius assistant in their pocket.

On the other hand, what is certain is that education is one of the areas where the impact of AI will be most significant and where there is enormous potential for AI to have a positive impact on society. And that is a good news for all of us.