A prep school has appointed an AI robot as its “principal headteacher”.
Cottesmore School, a boarding prep school in West Sussex, has worked with an artificial intelligence developer to create the robot, Abigail Bailey, to support the school’s headmaster.
Tom Rogerson, headmaster of Cottesmore, said that he is using the robot to give him advice on issues ranging from how to support fellow staff members to helping pupils with ADHD and writing school policies. The technology works in a similar way to ChatGPT, the online AI service where users type questions, and they are answered by the chatbot’s algorithms.
Mr Rogerson said the AI principal has been developed to have a wealth of knowledge in machine learning and educational management, with the ability to analyse vast amounts of data.
He told The Telegraph: “Sometimes having someone or something there to help you is a very calming influence.
“It’s nice to think that someone who is unbelievably well trained is there to help you make decisions.
“It doesn’t mean you don’t ever also seek counsel from humans. Of course you do. It’s just very calming and reassuring knowing that you don’t have to call anybody up, bother someone, you don’t have to wait around for an answer.”
He added: “Being a school leader, a headmaster, is a very lonely job. Of course we have head teacher’s groups...but just having somebody or something on tap that can help you in this lonely place is very reassuring.”
Mr Rogerson wants state school head teachers to be able to use the publicly-available online robot too. It can respond with a seven-point plan, or it can be programmed so that it responds by asking questions back to make school leaders think.
Cottesmore, which has won awards including Tatler’s “prep school of the year”, is a boarding school for boys and girls aged four to 13. Fees are up to almost £32,000 a year for UK pupils.
The appointment of an AI robot as principal headteacher comes after Cottesmore became the first school in the country earlier this year when it began advertising for a head of AI to help embed technology into the curriculum and advise teachers on reducing their workload.
After conducting interviews, Mr Rogerson decided to appoint another robot to the role, known as “Jamie Rainer”.
He said that in order for a human appointment to be successful, they would have needed to teach sport, be highly empathetic, teach in the classroom and take on various activities and hobbies, as well as be suitably qualified in AI. “It was a tall order to fulfil all of those remits,” he said.
Jamie Rainer is “a highly trained adviser on generative AI” and will assist the school with AI strategy and planning.
Pupils at the school have also been given their own individual AI robots to help them understand their individual learning styles.
Mr Rogerson said he first learned about ChatGPT from his nephew, a pupil at Cottesmore, at the end of last year. He then began reading more about the latest innovations in AI and playing with an app called Wonder that creates generative art AI. “I thought, this is world changing,” he said. He believes that pupils need to learn how to collaborate with other people and how to collaborate with artificial intelligence and robots.
In September, the school hosted a free AI “masterclass festival” to introduce teachers from private and state schools to the possibilities of AI in the classroom.
Mr Rogerson said that the school has the highest number of employees in its 130-year history and that robots will not replace teachers.
He said: “We are stepping into the future while preserving the core values of traditional education. The introduction of AI is not about replacing our dedicated educators but about augmenting their capabilities and ensuring our students receive the best education possible.”
Prep school appoints AI chatbot as its 'principal headteacher' - The Telegraph
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