How AI and human teachers can collaborate to transform education

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries worldwide, the classroom presents a unique opportunity – not to replace human teachers, but to enhance their capabilities in unprecedented ways. This transformation is already underway: The global AI in education market is expected to grow from $5.18 billion in 2024 to $112.3 billion by 2034.

While many headlines have highlighted AI’s potential to automate educational tasks, the more compelling narrative lies in how teachers can work with AI to craft transformative learning experiences.

From adaptive learning platforms that personalize content for millions of students, to AI assistants that help teachers work more efficiently, the future of education isn’t about choosing between human teachers and AI, but rather harnessing the best of both worlds.

In today's educational landscape, both AI and human teachers bring distinct strengths to the classroom.

AI systems excel at tasks that require processing vast amounts of data and providing consistent, personalized feedback at scale. These platforms can analyse student performance patterns, identify learning gaps and automatically adjust difficulty levels in real-time.

Human teachers bring emotional intelligence to the classroom, reading subtle social cues that signal student engagement or confusion. They also understand the complex personal circumstances that might affect a student’s performance and can adjust their teaching approach accordingly. Most importantly, teachers serve as mentors and role models, inspiring students and fostering their social-emotional development.

But the real magic happens when these strengths are combined. According to Forbes, 60% of teachers are already using AI in their classrooms to handle routine tasks like grading multiple-choice assessments, tracking student progress and generating practice exercises. This has allowed teachers to focus on providing meaningful feedback and facilitating group discussions.

And this collaboration between AI and teachers isn't just enhancing education, it's becoming essential for addressing critical challenges, including teacher burnout and workload stress.

The power of AI-teacher collaboration is already evident in several groundbreaking educational initiatives.

Take Squirrel Ai, a hybrid education company offering a large adaptive model learning system that has improved student question accuracy rates from 78% to 93% through personalized learning paths. Currently serving over 24 million students and processing 10 billion learning behaviour data points, Squirrel Ai combines teacher-designed curricula with AI algorithms, using neural network knowledge tracking to provide data-driven feedback while human teachers deliver engaging lessons and crucial mentoring.

Carnegie Learning's MATHia also exemplifies effective AI-teacher collaboration in action. The platform combines teacher guidance with sophisticated AI that analyses not just whether students get the right answer, but how they think through each problem. Through features like LiveLab, teachers can see in real-time if students are struggling and need immediate intervention. The AI identifies specific skill gaps and learning patterns, allowing teachers to focus their attention where it's needed most while maintaining the crucial human element in mathematics education.

While these adaptive AI platforms are reshaping personalized learning, a different type of AI technology – generative AI (GenAI) tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude – is also transforming daily classroom operations. Teachers can use these tools to create differentiated lesson plans in minutes rather than hours, including customized practice problems and engaging classroom activities.

These tools allow educators to spend less time on preparation and more time doing what they do best: Providing personalized guidance and inspiration to their students.

Educators and technologists must work together to create a new educational paradigm where AI and human teachers operate as true partners. This vision sees teachers evolving into "learning architects" who orchestrate sophisticated educational experiences by leveraging AI tools while maintaining their crucial role as mentors and guides.

This isn't just an aspirational vision – according to a 2023 Walton Family Foundation survey, 71% of teachers and 65% of students already agree that AI tools will be essential for students' success in college and the workplace.

The next five years will be critical in shaping this transformation. Educational institutions need to invest in both AI infrastructure and teacher training, ensuring educators are comfortable using these tools to enhance their teaching rather than feeling threatened by them. Forward-thinking schools are already establishing AI competency programmes for teachers, focusing on how to effectively integrate tools like adaptive learning platforms and GenAI into their teaching practice.

Recent Pew Research data suggests that teachers are fully aware of the role of AI in education, with 73% of educators either seeing balanced benefits, positive potential or remaining open to exploring AI's impact. This measured perspective from the teaching community provides an excellent foundation for a collaborative future in which AI tools are carefully and purposefully integrated into education with teacher input and guidance. Realizing this potential will require careful attention to equity, however, ensuring these tools reach all students, not just those in well-funded districts.

The future of education lies not in choosing between AI and human teachers, but in embracing the powerful potential of their collaboration. The technology is ready and early results are promising. Now it’s time for educational institutions, policy-makers and teachers to embrace this collaborative approach to create learning environments that are more personalized, equitable and effective than ever before.

By combining the analytical power of AI with the irreplaceable human element of teaching, we can truly transform education for the next generation.