Author: Muhammad Dzikry Nurilahi Fauzi – 232122092
Why AI Can’t Replace Teachers
The modern age brings us the advancement of information processing. It started to produce a room-sized computer machine, until now, a system that is claimed to poses as a threat for human’s jobs: AI. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly shaping our world. It is now getting involved into our everyday lives: learning, working, doing hobbies. It is also being applied in various fields of industries: healthcare, finance, transportation, finance, and entertainment. With the broad parts taken, AI is considered to be a danger that can snatch human’s roles in performing lives. However, the existence of AI still cannot outperform the roles of teachers in teaching.
Teaching is not merely centered to give knowledge, but also to give instruction of how to use the knowledge correctly and wisely. AI may have the ability to give learning materials and suggestions, but they often do not give the guide for moral consideration to the receivers. In the other side, teachers do not only provide theories or material, but also serve as compass for students’ moral and ethical development (Gentile, et. al, 2023), which AI lacks. Teachers can also consider whether someone is ready or is still incapable to receive certain knowledge.
Teaching is not as simple as giving a lecture in classroom and then leaving. Teaching is an art form of giving that needs strategies. To have the best teaching strategies needs to see the whole thing: students’ mental and cognitive conditions, school environment, national or global issues, etc. It means that teaching is not only about how to give learning content, but also how to align the content with the context, so whatever is being taught can be a meaningful thing and students can get the awareness of themselves and their surroundings. Therefore, teachers’ sense of humanity is still needed and can not be changed by the existence of AI, because AI lacks of contextual knowledge, wild thinking, curiosity based on emotional and cognitive processes, and empathy (Spencer, 2024; Haoyang & Towne, 2025).
Teaching is a process to build students’ better intelligence and character. Since it is a process, it is important for students to have companion in undergoing their development. It means that students do not only need subject knowledge, but also guidance, mentorship, and emotional support (Chen & Lin, 2023 as cited in Ghamrawi et. al, 2023) from teachers or instructors. Guidance and mentorship take roles as two models for students, in case if they were doing wrong, while emotional support is needed to keep the students up in their growth. Thus, AI still cannot be a primary company for students, because AI does not respond unless if it were ignited by its user.
While it is true that AI can be a useful tool for students to receive feedback (Gozali et al., 2024), positive engagement, and better academic performance (Ateeq, et al., 2024). However, AI alone cannot conduct effective teaching-learning activity. AI cannot be guaranteed to do actions and behaviors such as selecting appropriate resources, demonstrating knowledge, designing assignments, providing contextual feedback, and evaluating outcomes—tasks that teachers can perform more effectively (Li, et al., 2025).
In conclusion, teachers remain unreplaceable, despite the advancement and the plentiful use of AI. There are things that teachers have that surely will determine the quality of teaching and learning process: ethical guidance, human factors, and leadership in learning. However, teachers must not be anti-technology forces. Teachers should be visionary. They must realize that the advancement of technology is undeniable. Teacher should give students the provisions to survive in the future by introducing them how to operate technology while not neglecting the ethical factors.
References
Ateeq, A., Alzoraiki, M., Milhem, M., & Ateeq, R. A. (2024). Artificial intelligence in education: implications for academic integrity and the shift toward holistic assessment. Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1470979.
Gentile, M., Citta, G., Perna, S., & Allegra, M. (2023). Do we still need teachers? Navigating the paradigm shift of the teacher’s role in the AI era. Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1161777.
Ghamrawi, N., Shal, T., & Ghamrawi, N. A. R. (2023). Exploring the impact of AI on teacher leadership: regressing or expanding?. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12174-w.
Gozali, I., Wijaya, A. R. T., Lie, A., Cahyono, B. Y., & Suryati, N. (2024). ChatGPT as an automated writing evaluation (AWE) tool: feedback literacy development and AWE tools’ integration framework. The JALT CALL Journal, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v20n1.1200.
Haoyang, D. L. & Towne, J. (2025). How AI and human teachers can collaborate to transform education. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/how-ai-and-human-teachers-can-collaborate-to-transform-education/.
Li, Y., Wu, Y., & Chiu, T. K. F. (2025). How teacher presence affects student engagement with a generative artificial intelligence chatbot in learning designed with first principles of instruction. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2025.2493942.
Spencer, J. (2024). Why AI Can’t Replace Teachers. https://spencereducation.com/ai-wont-replace-teachers/.
