A top UK private school, Cottesmore School, costing £32,000 to attend, has chosen to have an AI chatbot as its main headteacher. This decision aims to introduce a sense of calm in the school environment. The school collaborated with an AI company to create this robot headteacher, which will assist the current human headteacher in running the school.
The AI chatbot, named “Abigail Bailey,” is really smart. It knows a lot about running a school and uses fancy learning methods. Abigail can give advice on many things, like helping teachers and students with ADHD, and making school rules.
The headmaster, Tom Rogerson, thinks it’s great to have such a well-trained helper. He says it doesn’t mean people won’t ask other people for advice. They will. But it’s nice to have Abigail because you don’t have to bother anyone or wait for an answer. It’s calming and reassuring.
‘Bringing a Soothing Presence‘
Abigail works a lot like the online chatbot ChatGPT. She helps Mr. Rogerson with important school decisions and tasks that need to be taken care of.
Abigail can give a clear plan with seven steps, or she can ask questions to make school leaders think. Mr. Rogerson mentioned, “Having someone or something to help you is very comforting.” He explained that being a headmaster can feel lonely sometimes, even though there are groups for head teachers. Having something or someone available to assist in this lonely role is very reassuring.
Mr. Rogerson is enthusiastic about using AI at Cottesmore. This school was the first in the UK to look for a head of AI studies earlier this year. He was searching for someone to help introduce this new technology into the lessons, as well as teach sports and lead different activities and interests. “It was a big job to do all of these tasks,” he said.
AI in the classroom
Students at Cottesmore School each have their own special AI robots. These robots are designed to assist them in understanding how they learn best.
Mr. Rogerson firmly thinks that students should learn how to work together with artificial intelligence. He believes it’s a technology that can change the world.
But teachers worry that students might use AI to cheat on tests or have it write essays on their behalf.
Earlier this year, it was found that ChatGPT could pass the MBA law exam at the Wharton School in Pennsylvania. The researchers there noticed that it was very good at changing its answers based on clues from humans.
Just like people in other jobs, some teachers worry they might lose their jobs to technology. A study by Goldman Sachs found that up to two-thirds of jobs could be in danger due to recent advances in technology.
Mr. Rogerson assured that at Cottesmore, robots won’t take the place of human teachers. He explained, “We’re moving forward, but we’re keeping the important values of old-fashioned education.”
“Bringing in AI isn’t to replace our hardworking teachers, but to add to what they can do and make sure our students get the best education they can.”
SOURCE:EM360