Elite education, growth of inequality and Artificial Intelligence in the current century

The interconnectedness of elite education, socioeconomic inequality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) resembles an entangled web of dynamics that dominates educational spaces and societal structures. AI, as a disruptive force, acts in a ‘Janus-Faced’ nature; it personalises learning experiences; however, the algorithmic bias and the Digi-driven divide widen inequality discourses. From a humanist perspective, promoting an ecosystem that offers an equitable educational landscape is essential. Historically, education evolved as a fundamental right, which is pivotal for social mobility and personal development. However, with the passage of time, it is observed that there is a strong correlation between a higher social class background and the availment of Elite educational spaces. Significant factors, such as ascending tuition fees, limited access to advanced programs, and the exclusivist approach, have often garnered socio-economic inequality. Elite education in the current scenario has a broader reliance on techno-driven engagement, which also alleviates the dependency on smart devices; for a student from lower-income strata, this leads to a significant obstacle in accessing devices and online connectivity.

Discourses about AI integration in education have numerous factors, stating the success and the summoning nature concerning its execution. Benefits in the list, include promoting a more personalised and efficient learning experience, robust automotive space for instructors for grading and attendance, and advancing technological competency. From 2019-2020, CBSE introduced Artificial Intelligence Integration for School Curriculum (AISC), which harnesses the pedagogical support of AI in school education. ‘AI for All’ is another initiative supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and Intel; the online program offers awareness about the AI ecosystem. AI educators like ‘Shalu’, a humanoid robot, an example of bridging and supporting classroom instruction. AI can be a powerful educational tool; however, the progressing journey comes with a cost. Challenges such as equity and accessibility, privacy concerns, and overreliance syndrome lead to the systemic erosion of employing organic mental capacity. A series of studies conducted across the globe have been alarming about the diminishing ability to deal with issues such as AI hallucinations, algorithmic biases, and plagiarism that impact students' critical thinking skills.

AI is a platform that largely depends on machine learning and data accumulation for the content it generates. This is where the real challenge of using AI in education comes. Any data-driven content is bound to be susceptible to bias. The behaviour of the social media algorithms has shown that these tools tend to show what the user generally intends to see. Unless appropriately regulated, this can be the biggest hindrance to the effective use of AI in education. Education is the very foundation on which the behaviour of not only an individual but also the entire society depends. In school, students learn both about the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler and the ideology of nonviolence propagated by Mahatma Gandhi. The student gets exposed to both sides of the coin so that he or she can develop a sound analytical mind. However, the unregulated use of AI can make a student biased towards an ideology that he or she naturally feels attracted to and can colour his or her opinions. For example, DeepSeek AI, a platform developed in China is completely aligned with the Communist ideology of the government there. It gives a rather negative account of the Dalai Lama, who is otherwise revered as an apostle of peace worldwide.

Verified AI tools approved by curriculum designing bodies such as the NCERT can actually help disseminate quality education. However, a student can be exposed to many unregulated AI tools in his or her personal space. It may be very difficult to regulate the use of AI tools by young adults and such unregulated usage can be a hindrance to the process of knowledge accumulation. Already, there are large-scale disparities in the standard of education our children receive. From the comforts of air-conditioned classrooms to the lows of broken benches, education reaches children in all hues and colors. Therefore, as AI enters the academic domain, one has to ensure the disparities already prevalent in terms of physical infrastructure as well as teaching quality are at least minimised if not eliminated while introducing AI-based educational tools to the students.

It’s critical to necessitate teacher capacity enhancement programs for the upskilling process that empowers educator’s to manoeuvre smartly and independently in this emerging AI-led educational landscape. A regulatory body of experts can be constituted to vet the AI tools students can access. Then these tools should be made easily available to them. In the rural areas, students do not have access to computers or even mobile phones. In such a scenario, these tools can be taken to the students through the IT infrastructure available in the schools. AI is a new opportunity to make access to education more accessible to all strata of society. Unfortunately, we have created a grossly unequal educational system, which is biased towards the rich. AI is a new opportunity to chart a new path. There can be serious ethical implications too in taking AI to the students. Issues such as copyright of information and attribution to the sources are challenges with which AI experts are already grappling. Therefore, the regulatory bodies which would supervise the dissemination of information through AI will have to ensure that students get information through the right sources.

In conclusion, we can say that since AI is here to stay and will gradually penetrate into all aspects of our lives. Therefore, the faster we adopt to this new opportunity, the better it would be for the students. However, the process of introduction of AI needs adequate regulation and handholding. Unregulated use of AI might actually create challenges for which the academia is not even ready.