Discussion on AI in the classroom

What can AI really achieve in schools, and where does it tend to hinder progress? What tasks will teachers have, and how will the school of the future function? These and other questions were discussed by a panel of experts in the latest episode of SWR Kultur Forum.

Moderator Eva Röder spoke with Prof. Dr Ulrike Cress, Director of the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Stefan Jakobs, Co-Chair of the GEW Rheinland- Pfalz, and Prof. Dr Tobias Keber, State Data Protection Commissioner of Baden- Württemberg.

Opportunities and risks posed by AI

‘AI can improve education – but it can also make it worse,’ emphasised Ulrike Cress. She warned of possible deskilling, i.e. the loss of skills. ‘We need AI that stimulates children cognitively. And that is a task that we as an education system must accomplish,’ said Cress.

She sees a great opportunity for AI in promoting adaptivity. AI as an individual learning companion could enrich education and respond specifically to the needs of individual pupils through adaptive learning processes.

But Cress also urged caution: ‘AI acts like someone who knows everything – but it is only a statistical tool.’ Errors and distortions are therefore possible and must be critically reflected upon in the educational context.

Data protection issues and the role of teachers were also discussed in the programme.

The complete discussion is available as an audio recording on the SWR website: AI in the classroom – Will artificial intelligence save the school system? (in German)