High School Starts Replacing Teachers With AI
A high school in London, UK will allow students around the age of 15 to use AI tools before taking standardized exams in 2026, despite experts warning that such technologies remain a poor substitute for human teachers.
The 2026 Pilot at David Game College
As Business Insider reports, David Game College’s pilot project is designed to support both students who are struggling to keep up and those who are significantly ahead of their peers.
“Students will benefit enormously from AI-powered adaptive learning, which allows every student to learn at their own pace rather than having to keep pace with a class,” co-principal John Dalton told BI, “which often progresses too quickly for some students and too slowly for others.”
Addressing Teacher Shortages with Technology
Beyond the immediate appeal of integrating AI into education, the initiative represents a temporary response to the ongoing teacher shortages that England has faced for years. AI advocates are likely to present the project as a glimpse of future trends in schooling.
However, the well-documented limitations of current AI systems, including their tendency to “hallucinate” facts, raise legitimate concerns—particularly when the technology is used with students still in their formative years.
Fortunately, the college will not rely solely on AI. Students participating in the pilot will continue to receive support from three full-time learning coaches.
Arguments for AI in the Classroom
Dalton echoed familiar industry talking points, suggesting that AI tools will free teachers to focus on higher-value tasks and enable students to learn more efficiently. Similar reasoning has been used by companies seeking to replace human workers with AI.
David Game College is not the first institution to experiment with AI in education. Harvard has introduced an AI instructor for a popular introductory coding course, and private schools in Silicon Valley are already using AI-powered tutors. Meanwhile, both students and teachers are increasingly turning to tools like ChatGPT for writing and grading assignments.
Challenges and Criticisms
The rapid adoption of AI has already created complications, with some students falsely accused of using the technology. Moreover, current systems still struggle to reliably distinguish fact from fiction—an especially serious shortcoming in an educational setting.
Critics argue that the college’s pilot goes too far. “While AI can be a valuable supplement to live teachers, it cannot replace them entirely,” Hadida Grabow, director of educational consultancy Higher, told BI. “We are not seeing anything that could replace a quality educator.”
“Regrettably, the technology just isn’t there yet—we’ve seen that with the high-profile failure of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s AI chatbot,” she added.
As the LA Times reported last month, AllHere—the company behind the chatbot Grabow referenced—notified schools of its financial collapse despite receiving millions in public funding. Launched in March, the chatbot frequently responded to queries by simply telling users to “ask your teacher.”
In light of these examples, skepticism remains about Dalton’s claim that the college has “humanized the AI learning process by creating a holistic and engaging educational experience.”
“The system does not judge students,” he told BI. “Instead, it allows them to learn at their own pace in a safe environment.” Whether the approach will deliver meaningful results or further strain the UK’s teacher shortage is still unclear.
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