Summary of Key Points
The initial intention behind policies to empower education with AI is good, but the implementation at the grassroots level has gone awry: teaching competitions have turned into showcases of AI capabilities, forcing teachers to learn AI tools for superficial use, which has given rise to a business chain involving customized course materials, course sales, and equipment purchases. Underlying these issues are teachers' professional anxieties (such as the connection between competition results and career promotions), inertia in the evaluation system, technical barriers, and a lack of suitable hardware. As a result, AI-enhanced education has become a mere formality that looks impressive on the surface, while the true essence of education—critical thinking and emotional engagement—still relies on human interaction.
I. The Distortion of AI-Enhanced Teaching
Policies that advocate for "artificial intelligence + education" often lead to an overemphasis on AI for its own sake during teaching competitions. For example, in Liaoning, a geography teacher named Wang Zai'an was required to incorporate digital avatars into his lessons on contour maps; in Chinese language classes, teachers were expected to simulate phone conversations with historical figures like Li Bai, and in history classes, to engage in conversations with figures like Emperor Qin Shi Huang—actions that have little to do with the actual course content and are merely intended to demonstrate the use of AI. Teachers spend months refining their lessons, tweaking everything from PPTs to scripts, and perform like actors on stage, with students acting as mere spectators. Some teachers have even developed health issues such as gastritis and depression due to the pressure of these competitions, and there have been tragic incidents where teachers have collapsed during them.
II. Who Is Making Money from This Formality?
Shrewd entrepreneurs have seen the opportunity, such as the Gaoshan team from Shandong. They offer three main services:
1. Customized AI course materials: Business is busiest during the competition seasons (March to May, September to November), with prices ranging from 800 to 10,000 yuan per set. A teacher from a rural area spent 5,000 yuan on a PPT with digital avatars and 3D scenes; after winning a award, this teacher was transferred to a city school, motivating more teachers to invest in such materials to improve their reputation.
2. AI literacy training courses: They teach teachers how to use AI tools, but most of the buyers lack the time to learn the tools themselves and still opt to purchase customized course materials.
3. VR equipment sales: Schools buy VR equipment to enhance their facilities, but most teachers do not know how to use it, leaving the equipment idle. Only higher education institutions (such as engineering schools for simulation experiments) truly benefit from it.
The Gaoshan team, based in a fourth-tier city, has an average monthly income of 15,000 yuan per employee (the local average is 7,000 yuan), profiting from teachers' anxiety.
III. Why Can't Teachers Escape This Situation?
It's not that teachers don't want to integrate AI into their teaching; the reality forces them to participate:
1. Competitions and career advancement: Competition results are crucial for career promotions. For instance, winning a first prize in a high-quality lesson competition in Zhejiang Province adds 5 points to a teacher's rating, and obtaining a senior title in Tianjin requires two public lessons at the municipal level. Teachers must incorporate AI into their lessons to advance their careers and earn more.
2. Lack of time: According to a survey by the magazine "Educator," 96.7% of teachers sleep less than 8 hours per night and are overwhelmed with non-teaching tasks, leaving them with no time to learn AI tools. Last-minute competitions often result in outsourcing of preparation work.
3. Strict policy requirements: Evaluators consider the use of AI as a mandatory criterion; without it, teachers cannot achieve good results.
IV. The Underlying Reasons for the Failure of AI-Enhanced Education
1. Insufficient hardware: Students do not have the necessary devices (such as smartphones), and parents are averse to smart screens, making AI interactions impossible. As a result, AI can only be used to improve existing PPTs.
2. Unchanged evaluation systems: Exams still focus on rote memorization, and AI-based open-ended questions are not effective in improving scores, so teachers see no incentive to use AI.
3. High technical barriers: AI tools are not designed for educational purposes, and teachers must spend time learning how to download them, write instructional scripts, and set up systems, which is time-consuming and complex. For example, creating a question bank system for Wang Zai'an took more time than writing the questions themselves.
V. The True Essence of Education: The Irreplaceable Role of Humans
AI can assist with tasks like writing documents and creating course materials, but it cannot replace the human interaction that is essential in education. For instance, when Wang Zai'an discussed water scarcity in West Asia, a student proposed the idea of starting a war—a thought that, although guided by the teacher, was a result of genuine reflection and more meaningful than a standard answer. AI lacks the ability to foster emotional engagement and capture the sparks of student thinking. The core of education lies in the teacher's guidance and the students' curiosity, elements that AI cannot replicate.
Conclusion: While AI has the potential to make teaching more efficient, it has currently become a tool for formality. To truly leverage AI in education, we need to address issues related to the evaluation system, hardware, and technical barriers. We must prevent teachers from exhausting themselves on superficial performances and give them the time to focus on meaningful teaching.