As technology continues to weave itself into the fabric of education, experts are sounding alarms about the rise of AI-driven apps designed to aid children’s learning. While developers champion these platforms as the educational future, promising to transform schoolwork into engaging online games, there are pressing concerns that parents should not overlook.

One of the primary issues revolves around data privacy and the reliability of the information provided by these apps. Although many parents have reported positive outcomes, the potential risks associated with these technologies cannot be ignored.

Take TeachingBlox, for example, an educational app that employs artificial intelligence to customize learning experiences. By conducting an AI-driven interview, it gauges a child’s interests, strengths, and weaknesses, subsequently crafting lessons into an interactive video game format.

“Most parents are busy. They’re working,” explained Ross Paraskevas, the founder and CEO of TeachingBlox. His comments underscore the demand for these innovative tools, which promise convenience and personalization for families juggling multiple responsibilities.

“Most parents are busy. They’re working,” founder and chief executive Ross Paraskevas said. 

“They’ve got so much going on, so now they’ve got a dashboard that can say ‘hey, did you do your homework?’”

The AI also monitors a child’s emotional responses and learning patterns to adapt the content. 

“It’s watching your emotions, it’s watching how you’re answering it and it’s trying to figure out patterns,” Paraskevas said.

“Let’s assume you’re excited about Barbie dolls, then it will look to use that excitement to bridge to, say, maths or to science.”

Jack Casonato’s daughter, who is in year 4, uses TeachingBlox.

“Madeline’s very good at doing her homework, but for the first time I heard her laugh while doing her homework,” he said.

“It makes it more fun to do learning and it’s easier to learn harder stuff,” daughter Madeline said.

Under relatively new national guidelines, AI technology is currently being trialled in classrooms around the country, with the NSW government recently announcing it will become a permanent learning tool from years 5 to 12.

But tech experts are warning parents to remain on guard, particularly when it comes to giving chatbots personal information, and to remind their children that even the smartest technology can still get it wrong.

“They don’t necessarily have the evaluative judgement to be able to determine if what they’re being told is actually correct or not,” Monash University’s Professor Michael Phillips said. 

“AI involvement doesn’t replace parents.”