How AI Is Changing The Role of Teachers In Education

Hailed as heroes, paid like afterthoughts.

Hailed as heroes but paid like afterthoughts, teachers are leaving classrooms in droves as AI technology knocks on the door.

Sixty percent of U.S. adults say they wouldn’t want their child to become a public school teacher according to a 2024 poll, many citing concerns about “inadequate pay and benefits (33%) or a lack of student discipline (27%).” This marks a significant shift from 50 years ago, when the poll first came out and 75% of Americans supported this career path for their child. A 2022 paper from researchers at Brown University and the University at Albany found that “perceptions of teacher prestige have fallen between 20% and 47% in the last decade and now rest at or near the lowest levels on record.”

Unsurprising then, we’re now experiencing a nationwide teacher shortage, a trend that accelerated during the pandemic. According to 2023 data, there were 55,000 teacher vacancies in the 2022-2023 school year, up 60% from the previous year, with an estimated 300,000 positions now being filled by underqualified teachers.

In Texas, where I run schools with a technology-driven, personalized learning model, 65% of the state’s teachers reported considering leaving the profession at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. The teacher shortage has gotten so bad that the Dallas school district is now paying for billboards in our area, an attempt to lure teachers away from one struggling district to another.

I believe that AI advancements in education are a crucial part of the solution to this escalating crisis. Edtech is offering educators innovative ways to create more effective, engaging and equitable learning environments, while changing their role to reflect the reasons many got into teaching in the first place. While no technology is a silver bullet, AI offers teachers a powerful assist to make learning more efficient, more personalized and more engaging, ultimately helping students succeed. I believe the future of education lies in combining human intelligence with artificial intelligence, enhancing the relationship of educators and their ability to connect with their students.

Benefits Of AI-Supported Teaching

Individualized Guidance

The traditional lecture-based classroom model, where one teacher has to manage the learning levels and abilities of 30 students at once, is failing too many students. Existing academic gaps widened after the pandemic, especially between low- and high-income school districts. Educators are forced to “teach to the middle,” consequently neglecting students who need more attention and leaving more advanced students restless and disengaged. Billions of dollars in Covid relief funds aimed at fixing the problem haven’t done the job. When you’re a teacher in a classroom with such a diverse range of aptitudes and abilities, it’s a big ask to get them all back on track.

There’s a better way. This is where AI-assisted learning steps in to create personalized lesson plans. In our schools, we’ve transformed the traditional teacher’s role into that of a “guide.” A guide is a supportive mentor who focuses on building relationships with each student, offering motivation and emotional support as they navigate through personalized AI-led lesson plans. Because guides aren’t spending hours on traditional lesson planning, or lecturing and grading every day, they can focus on what matters most — helping students reach their full potential.

Educators who use AI programs find it frees up more time to get to know their students on a personal level, understanding what motivates them, what challenges they face and where they need help the most. Our guides take an individualized approach to each student’s learning, helping them achieve their unique goals.

Personalization At Scale

AI is revolutionizing the role of teachers by excelling at delivering personalized learning experiences. These advanced AI programs can swiftly and accurately pinpoint what a student knows and doesn’t know in each subject, allowing lessons to be designed around their unique aptitudes without any judgment. AI paves the way for individual students to catch up in areas of learning loss where they’ve fallen behind. It enables the creation of customized one-to-one learning plans for every lesson across all subjects — a feat that would be impossible in traditional classrooms where a single teacher faces the challenge of addressing up to 30 diverse student needs, simultaneously.

If a student requires extra help on certain reading or math skills, they can work for as long as they need to with AI and not feel embarrassed about trailing behind the rest of the class. Leveraging data-driven insights, AI focuses on mastery-based progress, ensuring students thoroughly grasp concepts before advancing. Instead of pushing students through standardized curriculum on a fixed timeline, AI-powered learning helps students learn more comprehensively while building confidence through competence.

AI tools also excel at tailoring lessons to each student’s unique interests and learning preferences. One child might claim to “hate reading” until they discover content related to their passion, like Formula 1 racing, marine mammals, or space travel. It can introduce alternative learning formats, like tech-assisted audiobooks to accommodate a learning challenge. We’ve seen instances where students believe they are “bad at math” due to personal experiences or falling behind, until re-discovering math in a way that connects to their interests. Imagine learning averages through current baseball stats, fractions through baking cakes, or geometry through hands-on woodworking projects. The connection of academics and real-world interests with diverse learning modalities can transform perceived weaknesses into strengths, helping kids realize they are limitless in what they can learn. That’s what we believe at my schools, and we’ve seen countless examples of success employing this method with our students.

Challenges Of Incorporating AI Into Teaching

Technological advancements are often met with fear and resistance. Some parents and educators express concerns that AI-based learning tools won’t work in traditional school systems, particularly for all types of learners. They question whether students, especially younger ones, won’t have the discipline or maturity to learn with self-directed Edtech. They also worry that AI won’t cultivate creativity or independent thinking but will instead encourage academic dishonesty through cheating and plagiarism.

Successful implementation of an AI-driven educational model does require buy-in from all stakeholders: educators, parents, and students. Guardrails need to be in place. It’s also true that this approach requires motivated students. My decade-long experience with AI in schools has shown that students will rise to meet high expectations when given the right tools, motivation, and support.

We know that technology isn’t perfect. The adoption of new tools, from desktop computers to the internet, comes with setbacks and learning curves, but not enough to dismiss the upsides. In the 10 years of experimenting with AI in my schools, I’ve seen its capacity to deliver incredible outcomes, building student confidence, mastery and independent thinking while allowing educators to shine in roles they find fulfilling.

AI isn’t something to be feared — it’s a powerful ally in education that delivers impressive outcomes. Take Duolingo, for example. The popular language app showcases how AI-assisted learning can produce personalized lessons that are also fun. It tracks what each student already knows and customizes lessons to their level. It celebrates when they get the right answers and revisits areas that need more reinforcement. AI allows every student in the class to study a different language at any level and at their own pace.

AI is a transformative technology. Rather than shut it out, we need to continually educate ourselves on best practices and stay curious about what’s possible. Done right, we’ll discover how it can help our students reach their full potential, while enabling teachers to make their role more fulfilling and have the greatest possible impact on this next generation of learners.

What do you think? Can AI (finally) revive the teaching profession?