Humans rebelled against Korean machines – and in this battle they won.
Following the upheavals of teachers and parents, the South Korean National Assembly on August 4th passed an amendment to the Education Bill, which stripped off previously approved AI textbooks for its legal status as official classroom textbooks and reclassified them as supplemental educational materials.
The Korean Teachers Association said teachers “do not oppose innovation in digital education,” but deploying textbooks without proper preparation and evaluation actually increases the workload of some teachers.
Alex Kotran, founder and CEO of AI Education Project, a nonprofit that aims to advance AI literacy, said the US should be wary. He said the rollback of AI textbooks and the fact that teachers were involved in the pushback was “not at all surprising.”
“Studies show you get the best results in teacher-centric classrooms, and that without proper support for professional learning and development risks, anything that moves too quickly and tries to focus solely on technology will undermine that,” Cotalan said.
This argument arises when US schools experiment with how best to fulfill their promises of more personalized learning using AI. The Trump administration supports public-private approaches to increasing the use of technology in education, but critics argue that schools need to be careful, given the minimal evidence on AI and student achievement, and that teacher training is important.
That doesn't mean there's no place for AI, Corantan said. By helping students learn AI skills, they equip them for the workforce where AI is increasingly used in some areas. However, there is no broad evidence that learning from AI alone is the best approach.
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“The bigger question is how do you ensure that students are ready to add economic value to the labor market? And it's not just the use of AI, but also the ability to actually communicate, problem-solving, critical thinking,” Cotalan said. “And these are teacher-centric efforts to build these skills.”
The role of AI in US education
A survey published by the Korean Teachers Association in July found that 87.4% of teachers reported a lack of preparation and support for the use of textbook materials. The majority of respondents stated that they should be allowed to use AI textbooks to select the best method for their needs.
In a press release, the association supports efforts to promote the use of AI in classrooms, but added that “it should not be absorbed into introducing technology while ignoring teachers' voices.”
Some US teachers are concerned. In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish an AI task force that establishes a “public-private partnership” with AI industry organizations to promote AI literacy in K-12 classrooms. The order also called for agencies to consider redirecting funds towards AI initiatives.
In a statement, Randy Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the order should be “rejected in favor of what they say research will be best. We will invest in classrooms designed by educators who work directly with students and have knowledge and expertise to meet their needs.”
However, amid concerns about AI adoption, some teachers have experienced positive outcomes by incorporating technology. In an April survey of more than 2,000 teachers, Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation said 64% of respondents who use AI tools will help AI change student material to high quality, while 61% will help generate better insights into student learning and achievement.
Still, the report said, “There is no clear consensus on whether AI tools should be used in K-12 schools.”
Without comprehensive data on student outcomes using AI, it is important to focus on teacher training and approach topics by not eliminating teachers, Kotan said. He added that at the same time, educators and policymakers should consider “freight trains barreling towards us in terms of evacuation of work.”
JPMorgan analysts said there is a high risk that AI could replace white-collar jobs, which could lead to a “unemployment recovery” where the group is at a higher risk of unemployment. Tech leaders have already warned of AI-related job cuts for white-collar jobs, and Cotalan said the US should consider this as the Zers generation continues to pursue those careers.
“When it comes to education, AI is not yet sufficient to replace teachers,” Cotalan said. “And that's a bad bet as a school, you're basically saying, 'Well, we're assuming that technology will be better, and we'll somehow get over the risk of all the drawbacks of being overweight with AI.” These are unknown.
