As we embrace educational modernisation, we stand at a crucial crossroads.
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) offers us not a replacement for teachers, but an opportunity to rediscover what makes teaching profoundly human. This moment invites us to reconsider what education truly means in our increasingly digital world.
In my years at university, I’ve witnessed the evolution from traditional teaching methods to AI-enhanced learning environments.
Today’s educational institutions often measure teachers by quantifiable outputs such as knowledge transfer, content delivery and assessment creation. These are indeed tasks that modern AI systems perform efficiently. But this represents just one dimension of what education can and should be.
The heart of teaching has always extended beyond mere content delivery. True educators serve as emotional supporters, value guides and belief builders. They form meaningful connections with students and understand both academic and personal challenges.
These human dimensions represent the irreplaceable core of education. And these are all the aspects that AI can complement but can never authentically replicate.
Conventional educational frameworks sometimes emphasise standardisation and metrics at the expense of these crucial human elements.
When teachers must devote excessive time to administrative paperwork and standardised testing preparation, they have less opportunity to build genuine relationships with students. Yet these relationships remain the foundation of effective education.
Thanks to AI adoption, I believe all educators can leverage its capabilities to reduce repetitive paperwork and build more authentic connections with students. The golden formula for mastering skills and knowledge involves ample attention and sufficient time. Patience is not a sign of inefficiency, but a necessary ingredient in the learning process.
Giving a struggling learner additional time is not a luxury but an essential aspect of effective teaching.
Better together: The future of teaching lies not in resistance to technology but in rediscovering our distinctive human contribution. – 123rf.com
In these spaces of human connection, real educational transformation can happen. Today’s students navigate a world fundamentally different from previous generations. The traditional educational approaches sometimes fail to resonate with their lived experiences.
Rather than seeing them as difficult or rebellious, we might recognise that they’re responding to a changing reality. They don’t just need information – which they can access anywhere – but also guidance on how to process and apply it meaningfully.
I once asked my students, “What should you learn in classrooms?” After hearing responses about knowledge, content and techniques, I replied: “You should look at your lecturers and observe how they handle problems.”
While information can be found anywhere, attitudes and approaches to life’s challenges are best learnt from authentic human models. This, I believe, represents what education should instil in every student’s mind.
AI offers remarkable capabilities. It can simulate empathy, generate helpful responses and provide plausible advice. But it cannot authentically understand students as complex human beings with unique needs, backgrounds and potential.
AI lacks the lived experience, emotional intelligence and intuitive judgement that form the core of human connection. These qualities matter immensely in education.
The question before us isn’t whether AI will replace teachers, but how AI and teachers can work together to create better educational experiences.
Each can contribute unique strengths. AI can handle routine tasks, provide immediate feedback and offer personalised practice opportunities, freeing teachers to focus on what matters most, such as building relationships, providing mentorship, and nurturing the human qualities that technology cannot replicate.
If we wish to enhance teaching as a human profession with technological support, we must thoughtfully design our educational approaches.
We need approaches that protect time for relationship-building, recognise the importance of supporting students through difficulties, and acknowledge the profound impact of human connection on learning.
AI won’t replace teachers who embrace their uniquely human role. By leveraging technology to handle what machines do best, educators can reclaim time and energy for what humans do best: inspire, connect, and transform lives through authentic relationships.
The path forward lies in partnership, not replacement. We can embrace technological tools while reclaiming the human heart of education. By combining the efficiency of AI with the irreplaceable value of human guidance, we create educational environments that prepare students not just to know information but to live meaningful lives.
The future of teaching lies not in resistance to technology but in rediscovering our distinctive human contribution. Together, educators and technology can create learning experiences more powerful than either could achieve alone.
Dr Lau Chee Yong is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU). His professional qualifications include a PhD in Bioelectronic Engineering, Chartered Engineer in the UK, Registered Engineer in Malaysia, European Engineer, and Malaysian Registered Technology Expert. He currently serves as the librarian for the Institution of Engineers Malaysia and is a member of its Electronic Engineering Technology Division. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.
