Breaking News: AI Tutors to Revolutionize Education Within a Decade
In a groundbreaking speech at the Gitex Europe Technology Conference 2025 in Berlin, Geoffrey Hinton, the British-Canadian computer scientist widely recognized as the “father of AI,” shared his vision of a future where AI tutors will significantly enhance education. The event, which took place in Berlin, spotlighted the imminent transformation that AI will bring to classrooms.
AI-Powered Teaching: The Future is Here
Hinton, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024 for his pioneering work in AI, emphasized that although the technology is not yet advanced enough to create perfect teachers, it will certainly evolve to do so in the near future. He believes that this shift will improve education on multiple levels by making learning more personalized, engaging, and efficient.
“Currently, the technology has not yet advanced so far that it could produce really good teachers, but that will certainly change in the future. Then it will change the education improve significantly on many levels,” Hinton said.
AI Tutors: Efficient, Engaging, and Adaptive
AI tutors and teaching assistants are predicted to be more efficient and engaging than human counterparts. These advanced systems can adapt teaching content and speed to individual student skills and continuously update methods based on student feedback. This ensures a dynamic and responsive learning environment.
In the UK, schools have already begun testing AI-based teaching assistants, especially in mathematics and language lessons. One example is Manda, an AI application that automatically recognizes student strengths and weaknesses, adjusting teaching content accordingly. The current fee for using Manda is around £10 per month per student.
AI in Education: Benefits and Challenges
According to Geoffrey Hinton, AI will be fundamental in health and education. While AI holds the promise of outstanding accuracy in disease diagnosis and effective treatment in health, in education, it acts as a powerful tutor supporting learners. The use of AI in schools can reduce teacher workloads from lesson planning to grading and providing individual feedback.
However, Hinton has warned of the risks associated with AI, predicting that it could achieve “superintelligence” within two decades and exceed human intelligence. “We create highly intelligent beings, but we do not yet know how we can protect ourselves and these beings,” he cautioned.
Schools Embracing AI: A Look at British Initiatives
In some British schools, AI is already being used to teach without human teachers. At a private school in London, students have visited lessons without a human presence, using AI in combination with virtual reality devices. The director of David Game College High School noted that AI can maintain a high degree of accuracy and consistency that humans struggle to achieve.
“There are many great teachers, but people are faulty and it is difficult to maintain absolute consistency,” said John Dalton, director of David Game College High School.
Future Implications and Considerations
As we inch closer to a future where AI will perform tasks even better than humans can imagine, it is essential to prepare for both the benefits and risks. The continuous training of AI with millions of student interactions will likely lead to significant advancements in educational efficiency and effectiveness.
“At some point, AI becomes a private teacher who helps children learn twice as quickly as in the normal classroom, simply because AI understands what every single student needs. All of this will happen in the next ten years or so,” Hinton predicted.
