How AI is developing nowadays.

And how English teachers can benefit

from using it.

In recent years, AI bested its human counterpart in the most strategic of

games, including Jeopardy and Go. Just recently, AI has acquired the skill to
handle mis-information and incomplete information by winning against
world-class poker players in a Texas’hold’em contest. Although Artificial
General Intelligence (machines that compare to or surpass the human
mind) still belongs in the distant future, researchers believe that machines
are gradually approaching human levels when performing “simple” (tasks
that are simple for humans, not machines) tasks, such as understanding
naturally spoken language or evaluating unknown, new situations (in non
predictable environments).

In fact, one of the most common applications of AI today is speech

recognition. Personal virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Google
Assistant can understand speech and respond to it accordingly. The biggest
breakthrough in speech recognition thus far has come from IBM, which has
managed to reduce the error rate in conversational speech recognition to
5.5% (relative to the human error rate is of 5.1%).

Other existing AI applications include predictive technologies found in early

self-driving cars and search engines. Companies such as Netflix and
Pandora are also using AI to improve content recommendations.

It has become widespread to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Especially after
ChatGPT and Bard have been released to the public, the potential of AI in different
sectors has started to be discovered and still does.

It wasn’t too long before students and educators discovered the importance of AI in
the education sector. There are tools that are helpful both for teachers and
student that can be used in classrooms, schools, or individually.

The best way to comprehend AI in the education sector is with the help of
some statistics. Student feedback and teacher's inputs show an apparent
engagement with AI. According to CryptoPolitan, survey data shows %67 of high-
school students use AI in the United Kingdom.
For college students the data shows that 30% of college students in the United
States use AI tools for their assignments. This rate was found to be similar for
educators, too. As indicated by Education Week, teachers use the opportunities AI
can offer as much as students in research conducted.

The data collected from the cleverly conducted survey shows the popularity of
ChatGPT. Most of them are students.

Advantages:

Personalized learning:
AI is a special tutor for each student. In reality, a teacher has 200 to 300 students to
care for, which is more than teachers can handle. Whereas, with AI, each student
can ask questions, learn at their own pace and take advantage of personalized
learning.

Another important aspect is that students with special needs can take advantage of
the adaptability of AI tools. With personalized learning, they will have more
opportunities and guidance.

Variability in teaching:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can generate answers on coding, mathematical equations,
literature, and reading comprehension, can solve difficult computation problems, and
so on. It can also guide students on their problems about why they must learn a
subject, encourage analytical thinking, and motivate them to study.

Artificial Intelligence can stimulate creativity if input is provided to do so. It can act as
a guidance counselor, career coach, and life coach in this aspect. From helping to
write a story to making a quiz on the subject, AI can offer a large range of
opportunities for learning.

Accessibility:
AI is easy to use and access. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, education quality
can be improved. Also, with AI taking care of automated tasks and providing
individualized feedback, the cost of education will be lower.

This education is accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, gender,

location, and disability. In other words, equity in education will be
ensured. Also, distance learning is improving every day, with the opportunities
provided by AI.
Disadvantages:

Job loss:
There is a concern that AI will take over education, that it will take teachers jobs.
Some important parts of educators' jobs, such as grading and providing feedback,
will be taken over by AI.

As a result, the human touch will be lost in education. Without human connection,
the emotional support that a teacher can provide will be lost, too. Emotional support
is important for developing students when facing hardships and improving emotional
intelligence.

Bias and Inequality:

Although AI can offer accessibility and break boundaries, there is also a bias and
inequality concern. AI can process some answers that are culturally specific
language use or writing style as wrong answers. Also, students' socioeconomic
background and family situation can be affecting factors to this extent.

Dependence on Technology:
AI is already widely used in the education sector, for better or worse. The usage of
AI in education can make teachers and students depend on technology. In the
future, there can be a regression in critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

In addition, with the reckless use of AI, plagiarism and originality of the assignments
become an issue. Homework, assignments, essays, and even theses can be written
with AI outputs. Some technologies, while seem to have positive outcomes before
use, can have more greater negative outcomes in practice.