The recent paper “Pedagogical Agents: Back to the Future” by Dr. Lewis Johnson of Alelo Inc. and Professor James Lester of North Carolina State University reviews the history and likely future of pedagogical agents, which are autonomous, interactive computer-based characters that engage in rich, face-to-face interactions with learners.

Education and training is one industry where AI is starting to play important roles. What impact will AI have on education and training in the future? Will teachers be replaced by algorithms? Or is AI going to empower both learners and teachers?

To provide insight into the promise and potential of this new technology, Alelo offers a webinar series on the Future of AI in Education. We will look at the impact of AI on the experience of learners and teachers, the education and training industry, and the global economy. Seminar speakers will include Alelo experts as well as other thought leaders in the global community of artificial intelligence in education.

As artificial intelligence (AI) develops, it is playing an increasing very important role in education. For example, AI-based solutions allow schools to embrace personalized learning, and publishers to roll out adaptive learning platforms. Some futurists have gone so far as to claim that intelligent machines will replace teachers within 10 years. Not surprisingly, this causes concern among educators. But, should teachers really be worried?

What is it that learners want to be able to do with the language that they are learning? They want to communicate effectively with native speakers in common situations they may encounter. So language-learning technology should help learners progress toward that goal. Artificial intelligence and personalized learning are helping people to quickly develop useful language skills.

One of the best ways to learn a language is to practice with native speakers. Research shows that immersion is more effective than conventional classroom instruction for developing proficiency. Yet many people around the world get few opportunities to practice with native speakers.

Alelo’s Enskill platform is designed to support the development and improvement of learning content using machine learning. Enskill continually collects data from learners around the world, which make possible an innovative data-driven approach to the development of learning products.

Alelo Inc. (Los Angeles) and Laureate International Universities (Baltimore) have signed an agreement to co-develop computer-based modules for learning and assessing spoken English skills based on Alelo’s virtual role-play technology and methods. The modules will be initially integrated into Laureate’s online English-learning courses offered to its 50,000 lower-level students in Latin America.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense funded Alelo and Aptima to develop ALLEARN, an adaptive learning architecture that helps people learn foreign languages more rapidly and develop higher levels of proficiency. ALLEARN exploits advances in artificial intelligence to create rich interactive learning experiences that are optimized for each learner. Below is our interview with Dr. W. Lewis Johnson, President and CEO of Alelo.