“Don’t worry: EdTech is not meant to replace teachers. It’s just a tool that empowers their work”

“Don’t worry: EdTech is not meant to replace teachers. It’s just a tool that empowers their work” – a typical argument that we hear over and over.

Well, meet Optio, a humanoid robot that offers 24/7 tutoring, homework help, and customised lessons in any language, which has started operating in a NYC school.

The robot developed by Realbotix talks, interacts with students, and “supports learning through live engagement”.

It doesn’t complain, doesn’t lose patience, doesn’t get tired – actually, it doesn’t need to sleep.

And yet, we hear the same argument again: “It’s not a replacement for teachers”.

But “If a robot can teach your child at 2 AM without a salary, a pension, or a sick day, why would any school board ever hire a human again?”

Well maybe because school should be the quintessential place where kids should not just learn things, but also build relationships with people –both teachers and fellow students.

In the OFF EdTech white paper, we point out that digitising school education is a slippery slope that risks leading to the gradual dehumanisation of teaching. 

Here we go.

In an environment where everyone is increasingly driven to interact with machines vs. other humans, schools should be sanctuaries for human relations.

→ So what’s next after humanoid teachers? Here are two ideas for the EdTech industry:

Humanoid parents (so you don’t have to wake up at night, lose your temper when your kids are unbearable, or whenever you don’t find the right answer when they ask you difficult questions).

Humanoid students (so that we complete the cycle and exclude humans altogether from the educational equation).

→ And here’s an idea for the rest of humanity:

RESIST. Defend humans vs. machines wherever human interaction is the whole purpose – first and foremost, in education.