How Is AI Disrupting Teachers' Roles in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?

This learning brief is the second in a series of three on the impact of AI on teachers’ roles. It maps where AI use in LMICs is becoming more embedded and evaluated to understand the extent to which AI can ‘disrupt’ teachers’ roles (Horizon 2). While disruption, in an innovation sense, refers to processes in which new technologies reshape existing, stagnant systems by making them cheaper, more accessible, or more efficient, this learning brief looks at disruption beyond the technological to its social, political, and ethical impacts. Companion briefs focus on the extent to which AI can ‘upgrade’ (Horizon 2) and ‘transform’ (Horizon 3) teachers’ roles. By presenting AI integration in education along these horizons, we hope to make system shifts feel more navigable for educators. The brief covers four use cases regarding how AI is 'disrupting' teachers roles: AI-enhanced digital personalised learning; AI tutor chatbots; AI teaching assistants; and AI-powered inclusive education and language accessibility. For each use case, the brief describes the contextual challenges that teachers experience, the potential for AI to address these challenges, examples or evidence, and lastly, any risks or concerns that may arise from such use. Keywords: AI; Artificial Intelligence; teachers' roles; personalised learning; chatbots; inclusive education; language accessibility; ethics; AI neocolonialism. An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org/