How Artificial Intelligence Can Transform Education
Machine Learning Engineers seem to find a new purpose for large language models almost every day. These powerful computer algorithms have the power to help people with coding, writing songs, creating engaging articles, and even life-like video content. OpenAI is one of the best-known organizations experimenting with these versatile LLMs. Artificial intelligence experts and enthusiasts worldwide are familiar with the ChatGPT solution and the GPT model that gives the platform powerful generative capabilities. Many express a narrow view of it and similar LLMs, believing their sole purpose is content generation.
While having a big entertainment factor, GPT and other models have endless applications in the field of education. LLMs can revolutionize this process for students and educators all over the world. Software solutions built around these computer algorithms may uncover a new path toward personal learning experiences, engaging materials, and tailored tutors one click of a button away. But what are LLMs, and how exactly can they help professors and students alike?
Table Of Contents:
- How Artificial Intelligence Can Transform Education
- What Are Large Language Models?
- How Artificial Intelligence In Education Benefits Everybody
- Benefits For Educators
- Benefits For Students
- Can ChatGPT Replace Teachers?
- Issues Of Using LLMs In Education
- How To Address These Issues
- What to expect?
What Are Large Language Models?
The LLMs are the AI low-coded algorithms of a natural language that can generate probabilities of a series of words in one or multiple languages. These models can be provided with any type of information and are able to generate different output data based on the received info. For example, you may provide someone’s bio and then ask questions about this person. The LLM will help to generate them based on the info in the bio.
The LLMs may also learn from the previous data processes. Imagine you’re interested in learning about famous works of art or a literary movement. An LLM solution can be programmed to talk about these in a human-like manner and provide open-source information. Moreover, the next time you ask one about Claud Monet or representatives of the Classicism movement, the LLM will remember previous conversations and adjust its answers accordingly to the new request. Let’s see, how LLMs can help the educational industries.
How Artificial Intelligence In Education Benefits Everybody
Almost everyone has used well-known ChatGPT at least one time in some business or private activities. A lot of people use it in education, studying, learning, etc. for sure to create some content, generate ideas or so. But we are not limited to the Open AI GPT model at all. This is only a drop in the ocean. The different open and closed-source LLMs can become an excellent learning aid to level the playing field for everybody interested in getting and providing high-quality education.
Benefits For Educators
Schools worldwide often lack the technical expertise or investments to provide high-quality education to all students. Fortunately, even the most remote places get internet access via satellite, and more people can get an education with the power of LLMs.
Student profiling
Educational platforms and institutions can use LLMs to examine and learn about students more. This data is vital in analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, leading to more personalized learning plans and activities.
Automated grading
AI algorithms make the grading process more seamless and accurate through automation. LLMs evaluate student answers to make grading consistent, efficient, and time-saving. It enables faster feedback and lets students track progress better.
Content creation
Using ChatGPT for educators lets them create unique learning materials. These include study guides, quizzes, and interactive lessons, making education more engaging and diverse than staring at textbooks all the time.
Instant feedback
LLMs in education can give an instant test assessment, making it easier for students to get feedback. The faster this happens, the sooner learners discover which areas they should focus on the most.
Study guide tailoring
Institutions and private tutors can use LLM-based products to create study guides for class attendants. It’s possible to tailor these materials to the specific characteristics of individual students.
Scheduling
The LLMs can make the process of scheduling students' classes and lessons easier, especially for online schools. ML LLM engineers provide them with information about the preferred learning hours for each person, making their experience more personalized.
Benefits For Students
AI in edtech means really a lot to students at least in terms of simplifying the learning process. It means a lot, especially for kids and adults who can’t get a proper education due to a lack of schools and universities in their cities and countries. Luckily, we live in the 21st century and online education become a huge part of our lives.
According to the latest UNESCO stats 244 million children, adolescents, and adults could not attend schools in 2023. AI LLM-powered solutions have the huge potential to provide study resources when they are needed the most. There are several areas where using large language models in education may level the playing field for all categories of learners.
Endless reviews
Students can use ML LLM-based solutions in education to revisit topics whenever they like, bolstering and maintaining their understanding of study materials.
Personalized tutoring
Language models are irreplaceable tools for providing a more personal tutoring experience. AI-based solutions instantly analyze student performance and provide detailed feedback, tailored guidance, and learning materials that best suit one’s style and academic history.
Summarizing content
Lecturers and students can use artificial intelligence in education to get summaries of lengthy classes, making it easier for college attendants to understand the core elements of each presentation.
Translation
Multilanguage LLMs erase language barriers for students. These algorithms allow instant and accurate translation of lectures, textbooks, and other study materials. They may be also used for practice by students eager to learn other languages. These algorithms make the education process more engaged and personalized.
Programming
Higher education institutions can adopt LLMs to teach about the different aspects of programming, including coding, analysis, and bug fixing. Students code independently and ask LLMs for assistance or evaluation, continuously improving their educational progress.
High adaptability
Large language models in education are highly adaptable to the needs of specific groups of students. Their versatility helps a lot of students with learning disabilities especially. Such students can study subjects at their own pace and use the best types of content for their learning styles.
Can ChatGPT Replace Teachers?
“ChatGPT can replace me on my job”: how many times do we hear such a statement nowadays? ChatGPT or similar solutions are created initially to assist people but in some cases, they can really replace people. The point is when and why. Let’s dive deeper into the education scene.
From a business perspective, the main goal of LLM algorithms is to help teachers concentrate on the goal of giving high-quality education within the necessary schedule. GPT, Bard, LLaMA, or other models can’t do all the things the real teacher can. E.g., models can’t take students’ behavior, empathy, and personal feelings into account while checking the final exam test. They can’t feel and evaluate some things like humans for now. However, LLMs are really good at helping teachers as we have already mentioned before. Still, there are several problems we believe should be addressed to use AI in edtech effectively.
Issues Of Using LLMs In Education
Like all types of emerging technologies, LLMs ring alarm bells in professional circles due to their very nature. The fact that developers set the rules for AI algorithms can be influenced by the limitations of the human mind. There are several pressing issues associated with the use of this tech in learning.
- Bias concerns. LLMs are only as unbiased as the people who train them, which leaves room for them to perpetuate certain stereotypes and look at things from one point of view. Moreover, models can’t evaluate like real teachers, leaving marginalized groups more vulnerable.
- Ethical concerns. One of the biggest issues is that LLMs automate tasks that previously were solely in the teacher’s domain, including assessment and grading. While language models perform them much faster, they lack the human judgment to be fair towards all the learners.
- Educational effectiveness. Many educators are concerned that LLMs won’t be aligned with their current methods and lack human guidance, believing that relying on tech alone won’t benefit students. Many articles have already shown that the primary use of ChatGPT in education lies in cheating on research papers and essays.
- Hallucinations. There’s a great concern that the lack of transparency behind those training LLMs makes models hallucinate and produce false output due to the lack of understanding of meaning or context. This can potentially make LLM-based solutions give incorrect data, especially when working with specific topics.
- Privacy considerations. Large language models used in education get access to student data, such as learning patterns and personal information. A lack of protection leads to individual data falling into the hands of malicious actors.
How To Address These Issues
Despite the apparent problems implementing LLMs in this field, there are possible ways to reduce such issues. To achieve this, programmers can take the following precautions when tailoring educational large language models.
- Using diverse training data. One of the best ways to address potential biases in LLMs is by introducing them to a diverse range of datasets. It’s also possible to have models work with information in alignment with the goals and vision of different institutions and educators.
- Auditing performance. All large language models, including those used in ChatGPT for educators, take time to learn how to handle user input precisely. Luckily, ML engineers help them through the systematic evaluation of LLM performance.
- Data minimization and handling. The problems associated with data privacy and access can be solved with a few techniques. The LLMs must be provided with the minimum amount of students’ information without going deeper into their personal data. AI programmers also should focus on using secure models to avoid data leaks.
- Educator training. It’s really important for educators who use LLMs to learn how to manage these computer algorithms and prompts. This way, they can educate students on the ethical ways of working with LLMs.
- Balanced approach. Teaching enthusiasts should use LLM algorithms as a way to enhance their techniques. The vast applications of LLMs make them a great educational aid, especially in places with few educational opportunities.
What to expect in the nearest future?
Large language models are still an ongoing developing field that will take time to adjust to the needs of different industries. Despite this, the current use of GPT and other LLMs in education shows just how much AI automation in education can do to make studying more accessible and inclusive to many people around the world.
OpenAI has already announced the release of GPT 5.0 and the whole tech world is waiting for its presentation and the possibility of implementing to the many solutions. The education industry will be definitely the one that can use its full AI-powered potential.
