Robots as a replacement for teachers: school shows that children are able to learn successfully without human intervention

Imagine a school where artificial intelligence teaches, and adults only encourage children. This is the reality in Texas, USA.

The private school Alpha School in Austin has changed the traditional approach to education by introducing artificial intelligence as the primary educational assistant. Students in the fourth and fifth grades initially study not from the usual textbooks but work with programs that adapt to their abilities and learning pace.

There are no traditional teachers here. Their functions are performed by guides—specialists who do not give lectures or check notebooks. They receive high salaries and act as mentors, helping children overcome difficulties and supporting them in the educational process. Each student has the opportunity to communicate with a guide for half an hour every week.

“Artificial intelligence does not replace teachers. It complements their work,” says one of the guides, Luke Phillips.

After lunch, students move on to hands-on classes, where they learn financial literacy, public speaking, and project work. The school’s founder, Mackenzie Price, said her goal is to “meet the student where they are and guide them at their own pace.”

But this educational model doesn’t come cheap: annual tuition starts at $40,000.

Despite the high price tag, students’ results are impressive—they score high on standardized tests. US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon visited the school to see the experiment for herself.

Not everyone supports this learning model, however. Traditional educators have expressed concerns about the unproven nature and risks associated with using artificial intelligence in education, as technology cannot fully replace human perception and emotions.

Price, however, believes that this system is the future. “Alpha School is not the end of classical education, but its evolution,” she comments.

Indeed, the US is not the only country experimenting with new teaching methods. In Beijing, more than 1,400 schools have already introduced mandatory lessons in artificial intelligence, allowing every student to take at least eight lessons a year to prepare for a future defined by these technologies.

Recall that schools in Ukraine are also being closed due to widespread outbreaks of SARS and COVID-19.

Earlier, it was reported that Poland plans to change the schoolchildren’s winter holiday schedule.