Categories: On the Wire

The AI Frontier in Academia: Students Embrace, Professors Pause

Rask AI studied input from more than 150 students and professors on their perceptions of the use of AI tools in the educational process.

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, a new horizon is emerging, shaped by the groundbreaking advances in Generative AI (Gen AI). The global education technology market is expected to reach $348.41 billion by 2030. A study by McKinsey shows that AI-powered education technologies have the potential to reduce the achievement gap between high- and low-achieving students by up to 20%. But the debate continues: professors are polarised on AI, while students are actively using the technology.

The Rask AI team conducted a study that revealed a gap in the perception of the use of AI tools in the educational process. According to the research, professors are already using tools for basic tasks (search, translation) without knowing that AI is built into them.

However, students are more experienced in using AI tools than professors. 73% of students surveyed use AI-based tools at least occasionally. And 86% of students reported an improvement in their academic performance after using AI tools.

In general, academia is at a very early stage of adopting AI and is currently outlining different frameworks for the use of AI. Some respondents believe that the integration of AI methods could enrich and diversify the learning experience.

“AI-based learning systems would be able to give professors useful information about their students’ learning styles, abilities, and progress, and provide suggestions for how to customize their teaching methods to students’ individual needs”, — Lasse Rouhiainen Harvard Business Review Author.

According to the research, AI translation is one of the most popular scenarios for both students and teachers (80 per cent and 20 per cent respectively). This could mean that the language barrier is still an issue in education.

Maria Chmir, Rask’s CEO and founder, states: “In a world with over 7100 languages, learning platforms use an average of only 9 languages. Knowledge is not English or Spanish. AI can help educators make knowledge truly global and accessible to everyone.”

Rask’s research also shows that AI has the potential to significantly broaden the scope of a teacher’s influence. It allows students to engage not only with their human teachers, but also with AI-powered educational assistants, fostering an ongoing educational dialogue.

Looking at the balance between human teachers and AI, it’s conceivable that a large proportion of traditional teacher roles, particularly those focused on administrative tasks, could be effectively handled by Generative AI. In this evolved model of education, technology acts as a co-pilot rather than a replacement.

See the full report here.

Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.

  • edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

    View all posts
EdCircuit Staff

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

Share
Published by
EdCircuit Staff

Recent Posts

Why AI in Education Supports, Not Replaces Teachers

AI in education is not replacing teachers. It is strengthening their ability to teach well.…

7 hours ago

Chronic Absenteeism Is Undermining Student Success

Chronic absenteeism is no longer a fringe concern or a temporary aftershock of the pandemic.…

1 day ago

Phishing Incident Response: A District Playbook

Phishing incident response is the moment a school district moves from professional-development slides to real-world…

2 days ago

Career and Technical Education Through a Parent’s Eyes

Career and Technical Education often changes the future not just for students, but for the…

3 days ago

Safety Training That Sticks in Real Classrooms

Safety training determines what happens in the first ten seconds Safety training is often measured…

4 days ago

Driving K–12 Innovation in 2026: What Leaders Must Know

K–12 innovation is entering a defining moment as district technology leaders juggle competing priorities: piloting…

4 days ago