Perhaps the most unsettling use case of generative AI is using it to create a synthetic avatar of a person. AI can now clone a person’s voice, image, mannerisms and even style of speaking. This has some troubling downstream implications for education, but some envision this as a tool for greater access to knowledge. 

Explore HeyGen:

You can sign up for a free account at HeyGen . Like many of the apps, HeyGen gives free user accounts limited access before asking them to pay for advanced features, like the ability to scan and upload a version of your own likeness. 

Use cases for digital avatars in education:

  • Morehouse College is piloting AI avatars as virtual teaching assistants to support faculty

  • The Alpha School in Austin replaced their teachers with avatars of historical figures

  • Others consider AI avatars as supplements for support services, like counseling or tutoring students

Keep in mind:

  • The risks of allowing students to develop relationships with digital replicas of real flesh and blood human beings may be in opposition to what it means to work with students in education. How can we advocate boundaries and regulations for avatars? 

  • Many of us would likely cringe at the thought of uploading our likeness and tasking it with teaching a course for us. But what would our response be if we were offered time, resources, or a paid sabbatical in exchange? Educators should ensure AI is used to help support students, not serve as a stand-in for addressing the material conditions that keep us from successfully teaching.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How might AI avatars impact the authenticity of student-teacher relationships? What could be gained or lost in terms of emotional connection and mentorship?

  2. What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of using historical figure avatars (like in the Alpha School example) compared to traditional teaching methods?

  3. How could AI avatars affect student engagement and motivation? Are there risks of students becoming overly attached to or dependent on digital entities?

  4. What ethical considerations arise from creating and using digital replicas of real educators? How might this impact privacy, consent, and intellectual property rights?

  5. In what ways could AI avatars potentially increase access to education, especially for underserved populations? What challenges might this pose to educational equity?

  6. How might the use of AI avatars in education influence students' understanding of human identity, empathy, and social interactions?

  7. What safeguards or regulations should be put in place to ensure responsible use of AI avatars in educational settings? How can we protect against potential misuse or manipulation?

  8. How could the introduction of AI avatars impact the role and perceived value of human educators? What unique qualities do human teachers bring that cannot be replicated by AI?

  9. In what ways might AI avatars challenge or enhance our current pedagogical approaches? How might they affect curriculum design and assessment methods?

  10. Considering the potential time and resource benefits for educators, under what circumstances (if any) would it be ethically acceptable to use an AI avatar as a stand-in for oneself in teaching? What boundaries should be established?

AI Generated Label: This list of discussion questions was created by Marc Watkins using Claude 3.5, an AI language model, to explore the practical and ethical implications of using AI avatars in educational settings. The questions were generated based on the provided context and instructions, aiming to provoke thoughtful discussion among educators about the potential benefits, risks, and challenges associated with this technology