Will artificial intelligence replace teachers?

School is back in session across Latin America, but this year, something feels different. AI is no longer a futuristic concept: it has already made its way into education. While policymakers and educators are still arguing about whether students should use ChatGPT, the reality is that AI is already here, reshaping the way we learn, teach, and think.

Automated grading, AI tutors, and personalized learning systems (PLS) powered by AI are handling tasks that once required a human touch. The World Economic Forum says 71% of teachers and 65% of students see AI tools as key to crushing it in school and careers.

Yet, in many countries, AI remains a vague topic in education policies, if even mentioned at all. And, when it is referenced, it is as a problem to fix rather than an opportunity to enhance.

We are still stuck with 20th-century curricula that prioritize memorization, an approach that feels laughable when a chatbot can generate answers in seconds. An unavoidable question pops up: How much longer are we going to wait to update education?

AI is not replacing teachers, but it will replace traditional teaching

For those worried about AI making educators obsolete, let’s get one thing straight: Teaching is more than just delivering information. It is about fostering creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, skills that AI still struggles with.

Educators shouldn’t be left behind in this transition. They should be leading it. Yet, many of them feel threatened by AI instead of empowered by it, which is not their fault. Most educator training programs still completely overlook AI. A 2023 global survey by the University of Queensland, which included over 17,000 people across 17 countries, found that 61% of respondents are ambivalent or skeptical about AI in education. The main reason: they don’t fully understand how it works.

In fact, 59% of teachers in the US report that one or more of their students have used generative AI for school purposes, up 17 percentage points from the previous school year, according to a March 2024 survey by the Center for Democracy & Technology. As a result, detection tools are popping up everywhere, with 68% of teachers saying they’ve used them to check if a student’s work got a little help from generative AI.

We need a major reskilling initiative to help teachers transition from being AI-averse to becoming AI-literate. As Mahak Sharma, Head of Google’s Platform Partnerships for Gemini, said during the San Francisco Technology with Purpose Forum: “The education system needs to evolve. It is not about memorizing information, but about developing critical thinking. AI can do the research, but what matters is what we do with that knowledge.”

Imagine explaining to students that they must spend years memorizing facts they can google in seconds. We wouldn’t train doctors today using textbooks from the 1960s, yet we’re still educating kids using outdated models. If education doesn’t change, students will leave school feeling that AI is more relevant to their lives than their teachers ever were.

Easier said than done. To make that happen, AI must be given a place in the education system. All curricula compete for class hours and teacher workload. There’s a structural framework that some refuse to change. We can’t keep piling more onto the school system without making real transformations, but it feels like nobody’s ready to roll up their sleeves and do what it takes to get it done.

Also, resistance from teachers’ unions remains strong. Some of them have called for restrictions on AI in the classroom in several countries, fearing it will devalue their roles. Others argue that AI-driven education could widen inequality, favoring students with better access to technology. So, how do we strike a balance and keep moving the needle?