Report: Online learners prefer human connection over AI
When survey respondents were asked about their top fears about AI in learning, 32% stated a lack of human connection.
For all the problems artificial intelligence claims to solve, adoption by both companies and individuals might be slower than many AI proponents expected.
A new global survey of online students by learning platform Preply indicates that nearly three-quarters of online learners are concerned about AI in education. Levels of concern vary from country to country, with Spain having the highest, at 80%. The United States and Germany are in the middle with 77% and 71%, respectively, while countries like Brazil and Turkey are least concerned. Women are more apprehensive about AI than men, but the level of concern is similar across Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X students.
For its report, “AI vs. Human Learning: The importance of human interaction,” Preply surveyed more than 2,500 active online learners in the United States, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, as well as 1,035 professional instructors in 40 countries who teach English as a foreign language. The survey was conducted in August 2023.
When survey respondents were asked about their top fears about AI in learning, 32% stated a lack of human connection and a resulting loss of motivation as their primary concern; data privacy came in second, at 12%. Worries about a learning experience not personalized to their needs and a mistrust of AI accuracy each came in at 9%. Taken together, addressing privacy issues and fostering trust in AI systems is proving to be a major priority within educational settings, according to Preply.
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Yet despite these concerns, students do recognize the value of embracing AI in education. Almost half (47%) of those surveyed cite affordability as the top benefit of using AI in learning, followed by the convenience of on-demand learning (45%), the ability to adjust learning to individual needs (45%), getting immediate feedback (39%), and the ability to learn faster (38%). Right now, 52% of English-language teachers are using AI or other automated tools to help them teach, the report notes.
“AI’s ability to scale and personalize means there’s no doubt it will superpower the learning ecosystems of the future,” Kirill Bigai, co-founder and CEO of Preply, said in a statement. “While we see immense interest and higher-than-expected adoption of our proprietary AI tools at Preply, we are all still at the beginning of this journey. And as students are so clearly telling us, the value of human connection cannot be overstated. The shared jokes, mutual understanding, sense of companionship, and the relatability of conversing with a real person all drive outcomes.”