The Future of AI? Can AI Agent Technology Lead a New Revolution in Education
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With the evolution and development of artificial intelligence technology, large language models are undoubtedly one of the hottest fields in technology today.
On November 7th, OpenAI's first developer conference released the initial form of AI Agent product, GPTs, along with the corresponding creation tool, GPT Builder. This move has sparked discussions and attention within the industry about AI Agents, with Bill Gates even praising it as 'the future of artificial intelligence.'
Earlier this year, AI + education had already triggered a wave of competition in educational technology products. With the launch of GPTs, the functionality of educational products is about to be endowed with more possibilities. Could this lead to the emergence of the next generation of breakthrough products?
What exactly is an AI Agent?
OpenAI defines AI Agent as a system driven by large language models as its core, possessing autonomous capabilities of understanding, perception, planning, memory, and tool usage to automatically execute and complete complex tasks. It is an intelligent entity that can perceive environments, make decisions, and perform actions. Unlike traditional artificial intelligence, AI Agents have the ability to independently think and utilize tools to progressively achieve given objectives.
The difference between AI Agents and large models lies in their interaction with humans. Large models heavily rely on user-given instructions and guidance, while AI Agents only require a given goal - they can independently think and take actions to achieve that objective.
In the education industry, AI+education is currently a hot development direction, with many leading institutions and tech giants deploying educational large models and AI-powered educational hardware. The inherent advantages of AI Agents in perception, planning, memory, and data processing make this technology naturally suitable for the education field. Many practitioners have already attempted to integrate AI Agents with education, developing products like Aida and jogoda.ai that serve educational purposes.
Jogoda.ai, a prime example of AI integration in education, was developed by German programmers as an AI-driven online tutoring tool. It offers personalized assistance across various subjects, including mathematics, biology, and chemistry. Users can solve homework problems by uploading photos or directly inputting questions. The tool provides step-by-step solutions and supports over 20 languages, making it accessible to non-German-speaking students. Another advanced example in this field is KhAnmigo, developed by Khan Academy, which assists students in mathematics, science, and humanities—for instance, by explaining quadratic equations, creating math exercises for practice, and helping teachers with lesson planning.
These products demonstrate the compatibility of AI agents with the education sector through practical operation and usage, offering valuable experience and direction for more developers. They also seem to clarify the future application of AI agents in the education industry.
Bill Gates, when discussing the integration of agent technology with education, mentioned: "For decades, I have been hopeful about how software could simplify teachers' work and aid student learning. It won’t replace teachers but will complement their efforts—personalizing tasks for students, freeing teachers from paperwork and other burdens, and allowing them to focus more on the most critical aspects of their work."
In Agent mode, humans set goals and provide necessary resources (such as computing power), and then the AI independently takes on most of the work, with humans ultimately supervising the process and evaluating the final results. In this mode, the AI fully embodies the interactive, autonomous, and adaptive characteristics of an agent, closely resembling an independent actor, while humans play more of a supervisory and evaluative role. Such features enable AI agents to flexibly adapt to various aspects of education—from schools to students, from teaching to homework feedback—operating autonomously without the need for cumbersome prompts.
AI Agents inject new vitality and possibilities into education. Through technologies like deep learning and natural language processing, AI Agents can provide personalized learning support and answer students' questions, assist teachers in organizing teaching resources and analyzing data, and promote students' independent learning and intelligent evaluation. These diverse application scenarios, along with the core advantages of AI Agents in education, bring limitless possibilities and opportunities to the integration of AI and education.
In terms of application scenarios, AI Agent can provide personalized learning assistance and customized teaching content based on students' learning styles, interests, and abilities, achieving personalized and differentiated education. At the same time, AI Agent can also interact with students in real-time to answer questions, providing immediate help and feedback, thereby enhancing learning effectiveness and experience. Additionally, as a teacher's assistant, AI Agent can support teachers by organizing teaching resources, offering teaching suggestions, and analyzing data, improving teaching effectiveness and efficiency. Through big data analysis of students' learning progress, AI Agent can provide accurate, intelligent evaluations and personalized feedback, helping students identify and overcome learning difficulties. These application scenarios demonstrate the diversity and innovation of AI Agent in the field of education.
Personalized learning support, real-time interaction and Q&A, teaching assistance and resource organization, intelligent evaluation, and personalized feedback can provide students with a more personalized and efficient learning experience, promoting learning outcomes. Meanwhile, the application of AI Agent can also lead to a transformation in the role of teachers, shifting from traditional knowledge transmitters to guides and facilitators, better meeting students' needs and cultivating their comprehensive abilities. The capability of data-driven educational decision-making makes AI Agent a powerful tool for educational management and decision-making, providing scientific and refined support for educational administration.
For the education sector, these technical features of AI Agent bring unique core advantages: First, participatory learning—when combined with education, AI Agent can create a more engaging and interactive learning environment through immediate, AI-driven clarification and guidance. Second, based on large model technology, it can provide on-demand learning support: whether troubleshooting e-learning platform issues or understanding university admission prerequisites, it offers instant and accurate assistance. Third, it ensures learners' content mastery—students can delve deeper into educational materials, ensuring understanding and knowledge retention. Lastly, AI-driven insights—continuously enhancing the educational experience based on learners' interactions, preferences, and queries, with deep learning evolution to adapt to changing needs.
To continue deepening development in the education sector, it is essential to understand the product positioning and the core technological advantages. Grasping the core competitiveness can make the integration of AI Agent and education more natural and seamless, enabling intelligent technology to serve various aspects and specific scenarios of education more vertically.
Currently, Agent technology is at its peak, with businesses and investors highly optimistic about its application in the education industry. They anticipate it will breathe new life into the sector and create new opportunities. However, it is also important to note that AI Agent remains an emerging technology with room for further development and improvement. Whether it can achieve a sustainable and beneficial integration with the education field is still a question.
The most significant concern is the issue of 'human-machine integration.' Although AI Agent can provide personalized learning assistance and intelligent evaluation, achieving effective human-machine integration remains a challenge. Education is a complex process involving emotions, creativity, social interactions, and interpersonal communication—areas that still require the involvement and guidance of teachers. Therefore, establishing effective collaboration models between AI Agent and teachers to achieve better educational outcomes requires further exploration and practice.
The privacy and ethical issues that AI may involve in data processing and analysis cannot be ignored. AI Agents in education involve extensive collection and analysis of personal data, including students' learning data and personal information. This may raise concerns about privacy protection and data security. Ensuring the privacy and compliance of student data is a significant challenge, requiring strict privacy policies and relevant regulations, as well as transparent and trustworthy data usage methods.
At the practical level of teaching, while AI Agents' personalized learning support can meet students' diverse needs, it is also necessary to consider the adaptability of different learning styles. Some students may prefer traditional face-to-face teaching, while others may favor online learning. How to make AI Agents adaptable to various learning styles also requires further research and solutions.
Additionally, there are other potential bottlenecks, such as technical costs, acceptance, user training, etc., which need attention and resolution.
In the future, AI Agents will continue to evolve and develop, constantly adapting to the changing needs of education. We can expect AI Agents to more accurately understand students' needs and learning situations, provide personalized teaching solutions, and work closely with teachers to create better learning experiences and development opportunities for students. The application of AI Agents in the field of education will continue to drive innovation and progress in education. We look forward to AI Agent technology revitalizing the education industry with new opportunities after overcoming challenges and bottlenecks.