Artificial Intelligence is no longer just contained in science fiction films. It is increasingly becoming a significant part of our everyday lives. We already use tools like Siri and Amazon’s Alexa and are just beginning to see the possibilities of AI in education. And, we should expect to see more. The Artificial Intelligence Market in the US Education Sector 2017-2021 report suggests that experts expect AI in education to grow by “47.50% during the period 2017-2021.”

With the expected growth of AI in education, here is a glimpse into some of the roles it will play in the classroom.

1. Automate Grading

Imagine how much more teaching teachers will be able to do if they had help with their grading? With AI, the role of grader can be passed along. Current AI technology is already able to automate grading of multiple choice materials, but as AI develops and becomes more intelligent, it is expected that the technology will one day be able to grade more than standardized assessments.

2. Support Teachers

In addition to helping with grading, AI will also provide support for teachers in other ways. Some of the routine task can be managed by AI, as well as communication with students. For example, one college professor successfully used an AI chatbot to communicate with students as a teaching assistant all semester without students knowing they were not talking to a human.

3. Support Students

Pearson has already suggested that in the future students will have an AI lifelong learning companion. Essentially, this next generation of students will grow up with an AI companion that knows their personal history and school history. Therefore, it will know each student’s individual strengths and weaknesses.

4. Meet a Variety of Student Needs

In addition to acting as a personalized learning companion, AI will also be able to help students with special needs by adapting materials to lead them to success. For instance, studies are already showing positive results for AI teaching ASD students social skills.

5. Allow Teachers to Act as Learning Motivators

As AI takes on more of a teaching role by providing students with basic information, it will change the role of teachers in the classroom. Teachers will move into the role of classroom facilitator or learning motivator.

6. Provide Personalized Help

AI will also provide personalized tutoring for students outside of the classroom. When students need to reinforce skills or master ideas before an assessment, AI will be able to provide students with the additional tools they need for success.

7. Identify Weaknesses in the Classroom

AI will also work in identifying classroom weaknesses. For instance, AI will identify when groups of students miss certain questions letting the teacher know when material needs to be retaught. In this way, AI will also hold teachers accountable and strengthen best teaching practices.

While artificial intelligence will not replace teachers altogether, it is possible that it will reshape the way teachers teach and students learn.