Teachers still needed in the AI era

Students may get instant answers from artificial intelligence tools, but educators say teachers still shape curiosity, motivation and critical thinking.

“I told you not to ask Gen AI but to study from your notes!” Nidhi frowns as her young daughter keys in a half-formed question — a partially written paragraph — into the computer. Before Nidhi can even take a breath, a step-by-step explanation pops up, which her daughter gleefully copies and pastes! This question is now being quietly asked, in classrooms, student groups, parents’ WhatsApp groups, and a little hesitantly, in staff rooms and conferences.” If a student can ask an AI tool anything and get a clear, structured answer in seconds, what exactly is a teacher for?

“AI doesn’t ask why I have a ‘silly doubt.’ No eye-rolling, no tone. I can ask anything privately, even the night before exams, and get a structured answer,” says Meghana S, an undergraduate student at a private university. “The question itself is flawed, it lies on the premise that teaching is primarily about delivering information”, says Divya P, a commerce faculty. “AI is faster and often clearer than traditional methods. But learning is not only about access to information,” she adds. “But knowing something is not the same as understanding it.”

That gap is where teachers matter.

As Dr Hongray R V, Dr T Hongray, Dean of Student Affairs, R V University, puts it: “I strongly believe that for as long as humans are around, a mentor, teacher, guru, or some human in the loop will always be required. A distinction needs to be made between cold knowledge transfer — which requires less of a human teacher — and the provision of conceptual clarity, perspectives, and a critical thought process, which still requires a human teacher. They bring their life’s worth of perspective and experience, which is hard to replace.”

A good teacher is constantly reading the room — who hesitates, who nods too quickly, who suddenly looks lost, and adjusts in real time. They shift tone, pace, and even examples as they go. Sometimes, they even shift to the vernacular to make a concept land. When a concept is explained through something lived or observed, the lesson changes. Dr Hongray continues, “When a good, inspired teacher teaches, they are attuned to and very conscious of a student’s facial expressions, which give them real feedback to adjust their delivery approach.”

AI, for all its advantages, can’t do this; it does not carry the memory of how a concept failed to land with one group and refine it for the next.

Experts agree that the most important aspect of learning is motivation. Students do not engage with subjects in a purely rational way. Interest, confidence, and even persistence are shaped by how a subject is experienced in the classroom. 

Dr Hongray is very clear on this. “From the point of view of students, the motivation for learning is often an emotional decision that relies heavily on inspiring teachers. Most kids grew up loving science and mathematics, but that often morphs into fear and dread towards physics and mathematics by the time they’re in high school. And one factor is oftentimes attributed to uninspiring teachers.”

Deepa Fernandes, who is a counsellor at a Bengaluru-based polytechnic, sums it up, “Students who feel seen and supported tend to engage more deeply. The relationship itself becomes part of the learning process. A sense that someone is expecting  effort  and believes in the capacity of the students  often determines whether a student persists or disengages.”

A good teacher is an interpreter and mentor, someone who understands confusion from experience and can guide a student through it. Someone who shapes not just answers, but the way questions are asked.

Dr Baishali Garai, Programme Director for Basic Sciences at the School of Computer Science and Engineering, R V University, sums it up, “AI may deliver knowledge at scale, but it cannot replace the human spark that turns information into insight. In an age overflowing with data, teachers remain essential — not as transmitters of facts, but as guides of judgment, curiosity, and values. The future of education is not AI instead of teachers, but teachers empowered by AI — shaping minds, igniting purpose, and helping students become not just informed, but truly wise.”

So, the real question is not whether teachers are necessary, but whether teaching is ready to become more human, not less.