Exploring How Education Can Leverage Artificial Intelligence for Social Good

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming society and industries, presenting both opportunities and ethical challenges. AI enables machines to perform tasks traditionally done by humans, such as natural language processing, pattern recognition, decision-making, and problem-solving (Brookings, 2023). In education, AI enhances teaching methodologies, student assessment, and administrative tasks through tools like intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning platforms, and educational chatbots. These tools offer customised learning experiences, immediate feedback, and data-driven insights. This research aims to investigate how AI can be leveraged within education to promote social good by identifying how familiar educators and students are with AI tools, identify how educators and students perceive the role of AI in education and what are the current applications of AI technologies in educational settings and how widely are they used. Finally, discuss the opportunities and ethical considerations of integrating AI in education. AI technologies can address critical social challenges such as inequality, accessibility, and personalised learning. According to Luckin et al. (2016), "AI can provide tailored educational experiences that adapt to individual learning needs, thus promoting equity in education." This exploratory research begins with an overview of AI's role and tools in education, followed by a discussion of the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations associated with AI integration. Understandings are drawn from educator’s response to a questionnaire and a focus group with first year and final-year third level students. This qualitative data, analysed using NVivo software, reveals key themes and significant findings on effectively utilising AI in education.