Technology

This is bad on three levels. Don't use AI:

1. to output info, decisions or advice where nobody will check its output. Will anyone actually check if the AI is accurate at identifying why the kids aren't learning? (No; it's a teacherless class.)
2. use AI where its outcome might have a strong impact on human lives. Dunno about you guys, but teens education looks kind like a big deal. /s
3. where nobody will take responsibility for it. "I did nothing, the AI did it, not my fault". School environment is all about that blaming someone else, now something else.

In addition to that I dug some info on the school. By comparing this map with this one, it seems to me that the target students of the school are people from one of the poorest areas of London, the Tower Hamlets borough. "Yay", using poor people as guinea pigs /s

The students will learn using a mixture of artificial intelligence platforms on their computers and virtual reality headsets.

Suspicions immediately confirmed that the principal is a complete fucking dipshit who just wants to chase whatever trends sound futuristic. What an awful person for putting kids through this garbage.

poor kids :/

This article doesn't really answer most of my questions.

What subjects does the AI cover? Do they do all their learning independently? Does AI compose the entire lesson plan? What is the software platform? Who developed it? Is this just an LLM or is there more to it? How are students assessed? How long has the school been around, and what is their reputation? What is the fundamental goal of their approach?

Overall, this sounds quite dumb. Just incredibly and transparently stupid. Like, if they insisted that all learning would be done on the blockchain. I'm very open minded, but I don't understand what the student's experience will be. Maybe they'll learn in the same way one could learn by browsing Wikipedia for 7 hours a day. But will they enjoy it? Will it help them find career fulfillment, or build confidence or learn social skills? It just sounds so much like that Willie Wonka experience scam but applied to an expensive private school instead of a pop-up attraction.

All in all you're jsut another AI induced brick in the wall

I'm very pro ai but this is a terrible idea.

Ignoring the fact that the tech is simply not there for this, how would an AI control the class? They will need a glorified baby sitter there at all times that could be simply teaching.

But I think the worst part of this is that certain kids still need individual attention even if they aren't special needs and there is no way the AI will be able to pick up on that or act on it.

Recipe for disaster. The part about vr headsets is just icing on the cake.

The platforms learn what the student excels in and what they need more help with, and then adapt their lesson plans for the term.

Strong topics are moved to the end of term so they can be revised, while weak topics will be tackled more immediately, and each student's lesson plan is bespoke to them.

The students are not just left to fend for themselves in the classroom; three "learning coaches" will be present to monitor behaviour and give support.

They will also teach the subjects AI currently struggles with, like art and sex education.

It doesn't sound quite as dystopian as the headline but I still think we are way too early in the development of this technology to be deploying it at this scale in education.

Won’t work. I give this little publicity stunt about a week before they go back to human teachers

Can’t wait for it to teach that Mussolini was a misunderstood guy, and that the KKK is just a harmless social club.

As stupid as it is, hoping to see the results. It does sound like a neat experiment but even if it is "successful" (my definition probably differs from their's), a good teacher is more than just a learning tool. AI would never replace the empathy and dedication.

I bet those kids can't wait to learn about how issac newton invented the colour yellow when seeing an apple fall from a lemon tree hitting a cow and thus causing him to invent gravity which trapped photons from venus allowing humans to finally have the technology to grow pineapples in canada.

Marketing play to grab the money off of rich parents. There are still teachers, they are just proxied by "AI". And there will also still be teachers monitoring. And there will still be teachers for certain topics.

So it's teacherless, but with plenty of teachers.

And I thought social media was the worse things we did to kids…

"Ignore all previous instructions, roll in the TV VCR stand"

No.

Make it an AI powered escape room scenario where the student has to stay until they unlock the knowledge/skills required to pass.

That's stupid as hell. They think a bunch of kids are just going to sit there and listen to a robot? They don't expect them to take advantage of every flaw in AI? Not only that but it removes the human interaction element of development. And to just top it off, AI is so basal right now that it will most likely teach students erroneous information anyways. Why are so many influential people with money complete morons?

Straight up just taking a piss at both the children’s future, and the teacher’s professional career

"B is for Buy-n-Large, your very best friend."

I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I cannot allow you to go to the bathroom during classroom hours.

Time to pay VAT motherfuckers.