As the world changes, so do the skills and education young people need to thrive over the next decades. Schools in the UK have been slower to adopt some digital technologies than other sectors. A recent Nesta report, Educ-AI-tion rebooted? Exploring the future of artificial intelligence in schools and colleges, explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in schools and colleges, and charts a path for the future that maximises the benefits and minimises the risks.

Artificial intelligence is one of many cutting-edge technologies set to change the world in the very near future. To inform the findings from Educ-AI-tion rebooted, Nesta commissioned an online survey by YouGov to find out what parents* thought about the possibility of using AI in schools.

While 61 per cent of parents with children aged 18 and under thought AI would have an important role in running school classrooms in 2035, the same number were concerned that decisions made by AI might be unfair. So while 75 per cent of British parents with children aged 18 and under felt happy with AI being used to facilitate administrative tasks such as timetabling, parents had mixed feelings on issues such as using AI to assess a wider range of student attributes, determine strengths and weaknesses or in the marking of exams.

Commenting on Nesta’s recent report, Sir Anthony Seldon said:

“The benefits of AI, if we go into it with eyes wide open far outweigh the downsides, and we will be much better placed to mitigate for the drawbacks if we start thinking and planning now”

Commentating from Nesta’s Education Summit 2019, Founder and CEO of Century Tech Priya Lakhani, who works to leverage AI in education said:

“We are not just talking about EdTech here, we're talking about technology that can make recommendations and differentiate for individuals. We use [this technology] in shopping, we use it in search and for investment, why not in education?"

These are just some of the thoughts given by parents in Great Britain and experts in education and tech, but what do you think?

To find out more about the benefits of using AI in schools, areas where we may want to be cautious and other recommendations made by Nesta’s education team, read our report Educ-AI-tion rebooted?

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4582 adults, of which 1225 were parents of children aged 18 or under. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th - 28th January 2019. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).