I want to revisit some of what I’ve written about artificial intelligence (AI) and education. As I’ve written before, (see the blog from January 29, 2025) the education sector, students and teachers, are the main beneficiaries of AI, i.e. generative AI in particular.
What do we mean by generative AI? It’s AI that creates new content, such as text, images, videos, and music. This means that AI trawls through all the information on the internet to meet the requested demands.
However, what if that information is incorrect? The assumption is that AI is always correct. It is not. Rather a human is still required to determine whether that information is accurate or not. Recently, I heard about someone who generated all the information about himself from the internet. That information was wrong.
It is also easy for people to become addicted to AI because it does most of the heavy lifting. It should be an enablerand not a tool on which people are dependent, particularly when it comes to translation of facts and languages. Using AI may not necessarily pick up the nuances that shine through. Moreover, it’s easy for people to become reliant on AI for writing essays or for speaking English. When I was teaching recently, a student told me she was too reliant on AI for writing essays. That’s a worry.
In the same way, AI also makes it easy for people to believe they are good at speaking English when they may not speak a word of the language. Learning Business English raises the bar (www.learnbusinessenglish.net)
Why is AI good for in education? AI allows for personalised learning. It also improves engagement because students are doing things that they enjoy and from which they can benefit.
Students can also study at their own pace, which means they can study at any time of the day or night. Therefore, AI allows for better time management.
AI also has the advantage of scalability. That is, AI means that many students can study at the same time, since there is no limit to the number of students who can do so. AI also provides consistent quality of instruction. AI-powered robots can also be developed to support learning and training activities.
From the perspective of those curating a course, AI can help to create quizzes for students, or develop games, so that interactivity, engagement and motivation are greatly improved, often making the course more “fun”. AI too can create interactive videos that can help with language practice and it can also help to create realistic business scenarios.
For teachers, AI can help track the language proficiency levels of students, grade and assess their performance quickly and easily, allow better feedback and recommend additional resources for learners of English than traditional learning methods.
AI can also encourage collaboration, matching students with study partners, if required, and can help teachers build virtual language workshops. It can track a student’s progress.
Key themes and trends
The importance of AI and education is growing as recent conferences on AI demonstrate. Some of those trends are listed below.
Educator concerns
Educators are expressing concerns about plagiarism, over-reliance on AI, misinformation, and the need for adequate training in using AI tools.
Equitable access
Ensuring equitable access to AI technologies and resources for all students is a major concern.
Teacher training:
A significant focus is on providing educators with the necessary training and support to effectively integrate AI into their teaching practices
Student concerns
For students, the use of AI means there can be immediate feedback on exercises and quizzes, helping learners correct mistakes quickly. This is amplified by the fact that if students write, or use, business documents, AI can help write them and translate other documents, even suggesting new vocabulary based on the learner’s current level. AI can also detect and correct any grammatical errors.
According to UNESCO, AI should be used to address inequalities and ensure that everyone can benefit from it.
Conferences
Some conferences are listed below:
26th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2025):
The first is in Palermo, Italy, on the 22-25 July. It is entitled: : “AI as a Catalyst for Inclusive, Personalised, and Ethical Education” and looks at the latest in the latest advancements in AI-assisted learning systems.
MIT AI & Education Summit 2025:
This second annual summit, organised by MIT RAISE, will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from July 16-18.
It discusses the role of AI in teaching and learning. The summit will feature invited talks, paper presentations, workshops, and youth-led tracks.
2025 International Conference on Open and Innovative Education:
This is a hybrid conference, organised by Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and will focus on open and innovative education trends and provide a platform for sharing research and best practices.
AIET 2025:
The 6th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education Technology will be held in Munich, Germany, from July 29-31. The conference welcomes submissions on various topics related to AI and education.
Energise: AI in Education:
This is a one-day conference, to be held on 02 October 2025 in Timaru, New Zealand, gives practical insights into integrating AI effectively in education. The event will feature keynote speakers, including Sir Ian Taylor and Steve Smith from Google Education, and hands-on workshops.
