Present and Future of Artificial Intelligence: A Case Study on Prospective Teachers

Abstract

This study investigates prospective teachers' perspectives on the present status of artificial intelligence (AI) and their predictions regarding its future development. The study utilized a case study approach to select a group of 64 prospective teachers from the faculty of education at a state university in Türkiye. The study participants comprised 34 female and 30 male prospective teachers. The researchers employed a purposive sampling technique, specifically the criterion sampling approach, to select the prospective teachers included in the study. The researchers collected data for the study using the "AI Perception Interview Form" and the "AI Future Foresight Determination Form," and then analyzed the data using descriptive and content analysis techniques. The results showed that prospective teachers obtained information about AI primarily from social media, internet/news websites, and applications. Analyzing the definitions and explanations provided by the prospective teachers revealed that they particularly emphasized the uploading of human intelligence to computer systems, the acquisition of human-like abilities by machines, and the ability of AI to learn independently. Additionally, prospective teachers identified health, education, accounting, and finance as domains with significant potential for the advancement of AI. In education, the initial applications prospective teachers thought AI could be used for included determining students' mental states, assessing student levels, and providing personalized content. The data obtained from the study indicate that prospective teachers produced both utopian and dystopian content regarding the future of AI. This production of varied content reveals that prospective teachers have diverse perspectives on the future of AI.