AI is reportedly becoming a part of everyday classrooms in South Korea, with the country taking bold steps towards changing traditional education. According to Nikkei Asia, nearly 30 per cent of schools across South Korea, from primary to high school, have already adopted AI-powered digital textbooks since March, which is a big change in how students learn.
The initiative was showcased this week during the APEC education ministers’ summit, hosted in South Korea for the first time in nine years. The country used the platform to highlight its digital transformation in classrooms, particularly the rollout of AI-based English and Mathematics textbooks for certain grades across the country.
A glimpse of this transformation was on display at Andeok Elementary School in Jeju, which was chosen by the government last year as a model for digital-first learning. During a fourth-grade mathematics lesson, students used tablets to solve problems while their handwritten answers appeared live on a digital board. The class, attended by international officials, offered a clear picture of how AI is being used to make lessons more interactive and responsive.
However, South Korea’s rapid adoption hasn’t come without hurdles. Differences in digital access across regions and the need to upskill teachers are some of the immediate challenges the country needs to address.
While South Korea focuses on implementing AI in early education, a parallel discussion is brewing in higher education globally. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman has raised a point that many educators are now beginning to confront, AI isn’t going away, and universities need to adapt.
Speaking on his podcast “Possible,” Hoffman said that the traditional structure of college testing, especially essays, is no longer reliable as students increasingly turn to generative AI tools to complete assignments. Instead of resisting AI, he believes colleges should rethink how learning is assessed and consider integrating AI into the evaluation process itself.
Hoffman suggested that future exams could include AI as a co-examiner or even change more towards oral tests, which demand deeper understanding. He noted that AI-generated essays are often generic, and teachers could use those as examples of what not to do, pushing students to aim higher.
He also highlighted that avoiding AI in the classroom only delays the inevitable. Hoffman said that you can’t “ignore the new tool, adding that equipping students with the ability to work alongside AI will be key to their future careers. He warned that many universities are still clinging to outdated teaching methods and risk falling behind unless they actively embrace change.