AI teachers and deepfakes tested to ease UK teacher shortages
Schools in the UK are experimenting with AI and remote teaching, including AI-generated ‘deepfake’ instructors and virtual staff, in response to teacher shortages and workload pressures, but reactions from educators and unions are mixed.
Amid a worsening recruitment and retention crisis in UK education, some schools are trialling AI-based teaching solutions, including remote teachers delivered via video links and even proposals for deepfake avatars to give lessons.
These pilots are part of efforts to maintain educational provision where qualified staff are scarce, with proponents arguing that technology can help reduce teacher workload and address gaps in core subjects, such as mathematics.
However, many teachers and unions remain sceptical or critical. Some educators argue that remote or AI-led instruction cannot replace the human presence, interpersonal support and contextual knowledge provided by in-room teachers.
Union activity and petitions opposing virtual teaching arrangements reflect broader concerns about the implications for job security, education quality and the potential de-professionalisation of teaching.
The BBC’s reporting highlighted specific examples, such as a Lancashire secondary school bringing in a remote maths teacher based hundreds of miles away, a move that sparked debate among local teachers who emphasise the irreplaceable role of in-person interaction in effective teaching.
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