Louis von Ahn, the founder of the popular language learning platform Duolingo, believes that artificial intelligence is already capable of teaching people more effectively. In the future, AI will be scaled up and taught in schools, while teachers will play the role of mentors and assistants, writes Fortune.
Duolingo has been actively implementing artificial intelligence technologies. The company recently announced that it would stop working with humans to create learning materials and integrate artificial intelligence instead. Louis von Ahn notes that the application is used by 116 million people every month, which allowed it to conduct 16,000 A/B tests and improve its approach to learning.
The Duolingo founder believes that schools will remain as centers of childcare, but that learning will be largely done through AI. According to him, artificial intelligence can provide a more accurate assessment of a student's skills and better adapt tasks than a teacher in a classroom with three dozen students.
By the way, some educational institutions are already implementing artificial intelligence. In the private network of schools Alpha School in the United States, students study two hours a day with the help of AI. Teachers, who are called guides here, are not responsible for teaching or assessing, but for motivational and emotional support. The school has four branches and plans to open eight more. The cost of education ranges from $40,000 to $65,000 per year.
Drastic changes in the education system, according to von Ahn, will not come instantly: "Like government, education changes slowly."