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Report

AI in tertiary education

A summary of the current state of play.

About this report

  • Published: 26 April 2021
  • Updated: 26 April 2021

About the report

AI in tertiary education report front cover

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world and education is no exception. In 2019, $3.67bn was invested in AI edtech start-ups, up from $2.89bn in 2018. AI education solutions are attracting this investment because they offer considerable benefits to learners, teachers, and education institutions.

AI can transform students’ education outcomes – for example, by providing a personalised learning experience that improves social mobility and student wellbeing.

AI-powered personalised learning could support every learner to choose the right education for their career pathway, reach their highest potential, and acquire the skills required to thrive in a digital workplace. Data is often the critical foundation for this kind of change, and AI projects are likely to build on existing innovations, such as learning analytics. This has never been more important than as colleges and universities emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic into a world where technology will play a greater role in the delivery of education, and the demand for digital skills from both employer and students alike has increased..

Aims of the report

This report has two main aims:

  • To summarise the types of AI applications that are available in education today
  • To provide a number of case studies where they have already demonstrated impact

We also consider legal and ethical issues and briefly speculate on what AI applications might be available in the near future. There is, of course, much discussion about whether automation or use of AI for any given task is in any way desirable. For example, AI can be used to automate or semi-automate marking. This could be considered an inappropriate use of the technology, with marking being a key dialogue between the learner and teacher. This debate is outside the scope of this document. Here, we simply aim to describe what is currently possible, explain briefly how it works and, where we can, give evidence about its effectiveness and maturity.

Download the report (pdf)

National AI centre

We're developing a new centre to lead the way for artificial intelligence (AI) in education, coordinating the efforts at colleges and universities and focusing on practical help and implementation. Find out more and explore our collection of AI demos.

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