The (Un)predictable Future
AI-assisted iPads may give perpetual perfect lessons, but iPads or any algorithm can't stop kids from eating glue. That's the trusty teacher's turf.
The world may seemingly be turned upside down by Artificial Intelligence. However, human development and basic needs will remain the same. There will always be a need for someone who can provide a band-aid with the appropriate sympathy. Still, is the elementary teacher totally safe?
The Challenge
Teaching faces a global challenge. UNESCO reports the world needs 44 million additional teachers by 2030.[5] The U.S has 365,000 not fully certified teachers and 45,000 vacant positions.[1] Sub-Saharan Africa needs 15 million new teachers, South Asia needs 7.8 million. Europe and North America combined face shortages of 4.8 million.[5] Maybe the role as educator, social worker, IT support, psychologist, and occasionally, riot police, needs to be changed in order to make the occupation more attractive.
Hi AI
Into this void enters AI. The global AI in education market will explode from $5.18 billion in 2024 to $112.3 billion by 2034[2]. That's an amount that can turn everything upside down.
AI excels at traditional teaching tasks such as adjusting lesson difficulty in real-time, providing infinite patience for the child needing 38 attempts at long division, tracking thousands of learning data points. Another upside is that AI never loses composure when asked "why" for the 200th time.
The benefits of AI in education are already becoming evident. China's Squirrel AI serves 24 million students, processing 10 billion learning behavior data points to boost question accuracy from 78% to 93%.[2] Carnegie Learning's MATHia uses "LiveLab" to monitor students in real-time, identifying struggles before students realize they're confused.[2] Meanwhile, 42% of teachers using AI report reduced administrative burden, while 25% leverage it for personalized learning paths.[3]
Irreplaceable
Teachers are operating in miniature societies and have to navigate in environments that may confuse AI. Managing 25 different personalities, with various allergies, combined with parental expectations, is hard to code. When an explanation needs to connect to yesterday's discussion about Spider-Man or reference the local football team's last game, you need a human who understands that teaching isn't just the transfer of information, it's improvisation at jazz levels.
When a student is devastated about their deceased hamster, AI might offer hamster mortality statistics and suggest appropriate coping strategies. Human teachers, however, can offer genuine empathy, and the wisdom that sometimes lesson plans aren't the most important thing.
Teachers can also serve as society's early warning system, noticing subtle vision problems, learning disabilities, social withdrawal signaling home troubles, or gifted boredom. AI can flag test score anomalies, but teachers can observe that Bjorn only acts out after weekend visits, or that usually cheerful Maya hasn't smiled all week.
World Economic Forum research confirms teaching tasks requiring genuine interpersonal connection remain "likely to be unaffected or not enabled" by AI.[4] Someone must inspire curiosity, prevent science experiment consumption, and recognize when "my dog ate my homework" means "things are falling apart at home."
Keep on Thinking in a Free World
Teachers don't just transmit knowledge; they teach students to question it. In an era of deepfakes and AI hallucinations, who teaches children to spot misinformation? Who shows them that AI can confidently invent citations? Who explains why you shouldn't trust everything the internet or AI tells you, even when it sounds logical and authoritative?
Teachers are becoming critical thinking coaches, teaching students to interrogate sources, identify bias, understand when AI is guessing versus knowing, and recognize the difference between correlation and causation. They're the ones explaining why Wikipedia isn't necessarily a primary source, why AI-generated essays can lack genuine insight, and how to fact-check even when the information looks real.
This isn't just about digital competencies, it's about self-defense. Teachers equip students with the skepticism and analytical tools to navigate a world where AI can generate convincing nonsense at a large scale. Without teachers teaching these critical evaluation skills, we're raising a generation vulnerable to manipulation.
Defying AI
Teachers can possess abilities defying automation, such as: Knowing when someone's about to be sick, cry, or cause chaos. Deploying different tones for story time and discipline. Writing on the board while knowing who needs tissues and who's been suspiciously quiet. Reading the collective classroom mood and making the appropriate adjustments.
No Choice?
Despite all the factors mentioned that indicates that elementary teaching will be one of the safest places to build a career, there are some clouds on the horizon: What happens if not enough people want to become a teacher? What if the schools don't get enough funding to employ the appropriate number of teachers? This may force schools to use AI despite human superiority.
The Future is Hybrid
Ideally, schools should treat AI as a teaching assistant, not a replacement. For example, station rotation that alternates AI-driven skill practice with creative projects led by teachers. Data-informed teaching that lets AI identify struggling students, while teachers can provide targeted support. Automated grading can free up time, allowing teachers to focus on their students.