Alex Walters of the Chronicle of Higher Education has profiled an initiative at Morehouse College in the US that will introduce AI-powered teaching assistants (TAs) to the classroom this Fall. Morehouse, which reportedly does not have TAs, wanted to offer students the opportunity to ask questions around the clock in a low-pressure environment. To do this, the college is using AI-powered TAs that are designed to resemble the class professor’s individual physical appearance and demeanor. The AI TA can answer questions, reteach lessons for classes that a student misses, and redirect students back to the course at hand if they attempt to ask questions that are off-topic. Walters concludes by touching on Morehouse’s past efforts to create a virtual learning space and how the AI TA builds on the learnings of those efforts.
