this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2024
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A private school in London is opening the UK's first classroom taught by artificial intelligence instead of human teachers. They say the technology allows for precise, bespoke learning while critics argue AI teaching will lead to a "soulless, bleak future".

The UK's first "teacherless" GCSE class, using artificial intelligence instead of human teachers, is about to start lessons.

David Game College, a private school in London, opens its new teacherless course for 20 GCSE students in September.

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

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[–] [email protected] 119 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I wonder if they'll be able to sue for damages in the future? This is clearly a fucking idiotic idea that anyone with even the most basic understanding of AI would be able to tell you, so there's no excuses like 'Oh who could've forseen a generation of children raised on completely fake information could be so poorly led' in 15 years time.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There is probably a forced arbitration clause and class action waver in the TOS...

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 1 month ago (4 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How can we use this AI quantum blockchain to educate kids in a more efficient way?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Back in my day we just synergized them.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

But this way offers a new paradigm in upward revenue stream dynamics.

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Hey, AI is expensive. That money has to come from somewhere.

/s

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

It's a private school though, so I'd be cautious about assuming they're poor kids.

Edit: Yeah, it costs £27000!!!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

Fair - my conclusion in this regard was incorrect then.

They're still using children as guinea pigs though.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think climate change will top that list soon.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

In USA it's far far more important to stop TikTok than planetary destruction.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Now they are being forced to grow up in the UK...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Even worse London England, just the thought of being in England makes me want to stab myself with a pike.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

It's not that they're morons, it's that they don't care shit about others or the future of others. And that's why they are rich, intellect plays only a very little part in that equation.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Imagine paying to send your child to private school and then they decide to pull this bullshit. Classic profit motivations.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Even Universities are riding the AI Dick, its so distressing.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Are there any measures in place to ensure the AI doesn't just teach them hallucinated bullshit?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
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[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sound like fanless dyson fan.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This is the self checkout of learning. Requires the same amount of employees with the same skills as before, but wait, now it's also worse!

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Lmao does anyone actually think this will have effective educational outcomes??

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (8 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

To be fair the glorified babysitter wouldn’t require 4+ years of education on educating children, so they probably couldn’t just be “simply teaching.” This is still an awful idea, they seem to be trying to save money by paying a glorified babysitter a lower wage than a teacher. Private schools can be for profit in some place, I wonder if that applies here.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Yeah, it sounds like a normal lesson plan with ai fairy dust sprinkled on top as a marketing gimmick.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

So many things come to mind reading this, but the most important thought is: This will be how the bastards finally get rid of those pesky teachers and their gasp progressive teachings! /s I hope this fails hard, because a world without trading ideas to children is just prison for all.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The AI will be called GLaDOS

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Are you still there?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They have to convince the AI that there are 3 R's in strawberry

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

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

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Time to pay VAT motherfuckers.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

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.

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