Interview | AI won't replace teachers, but it will revolutionize education

In the middle of February 2017, Kalin Dimchev took over the position of executive director of Microsoft for Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Kosovo. Dimchev has vast management experience in a number of companies and industries. Before joining Microsoft, he held the position of IBM Country Leader for Bulgaria and Ukraine. Before IBM, Kalin Dimchev was the deputy executive director of Euroins, responsible for the sales and finance operations of the company. Dimchev has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Dowling College in New York, USA. He's done a specialization at London Business School.

Mr. Dimchev, traditional teaching methods no longer work as they did years ago, and teachers must apply new pedagogical approaches. What is the role of technology in the modern education system?

The modern educational system is complemented by technologies that deliver higher quality, easier access to information and more effective learning. The application of technology is aligned with the changes in perceptions, needs and future perspectives of today's younger generations. Technologies offer different ways of presenting information, making it more interesting and visual. Thus, the learning material is perceived more instinctively and faster, and it helps develop new skills for future professions. In addition, technology optimizes the use of educational resources and plays the role of an assistant to teachers in their daily work. It is important to emphasize that technology will not replace teachers and should be used as a tool to support the educational process, not as an alternative to educators.

Compared to other European countries, is Bulgaria performing well with the digitization of the educational process? Do you think that the COVID-19 pandemic was the key that opened the door to modern Bulgarian education?

Yes, nowadays when we talk about modern education, digitalization plays a central role. The digitization of education in Bulgaria is developing successfully. During the pandemic, schools were forced to switch to online learning and this accelerated the development of digital skills and competencies - both for students and teachers. Microsoft organized a series of trainings for more than 2,000 teachers, with the main goal of supporting this process, but also to unfold the possibilities of technology to be an indispensable part of the classroom.

Bulgaria was one of the few countries that managed to re-organize their educational systems in an extremely short time, exclusively thanks to the license agreement signed by the Ministry of Education and Science (MES). The agreement provides access to easy-to-use applications that build digital classrooms and support seamless learning for students in Grades 1 through 12, depending on their needs and the complexity of the assignments. Applications such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word have become a familiar environment for young and old. This is the so-called MS Office 365 platform, bringing together more than 30 Microsoft applications that serve basic user needs.

The digital environment made it possible to automatically create classrooms based on group, subject, school, and visible in the students' calendars according to the curriculum of the respective class. It was one of the first steps in the direction of more modern education, and thanks to its success, we are now talking not only about distance learning options but also about a hybrid model of education capable of serving many more needs and scenarios. Of course, there are still many challenges to be addressed and overcome, but the start has been made successfully and we are moving in the right direction.

What are some of the global innovations in the field of digital learning? Which countries can we see as a positive example?

There is constant innovation in the field of digital learning, and the speed at which technology is evolving is so fast that the question should be about the most effective and sustainable technologies worth implementing. Microsoft is developing a number of tools based on artificial intelligence (AI). Microsoft 365 Copilot is a new set of capabilities, in the form of an assistant in every application that uses AI to help our work in everything we do with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Teams and all other applications.

In the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Education is using Azure OpenAI Service to develop virtual assistants for learning and tailoring content to each student's specific needs. This solution could very easily be replicated in our country as an upgrade of the “Digital Backpack” platform (of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education). In addition, it could help the educational process in the direction of personalization and addressing the various needs of the individual student.

In what way does the use of different devices in the classroom facilitate the learning process?

Technology and devices can make lessons more dynamic and engaging, easier to digest and understand for students. They also enable students to access a variety of resources and learning materials that support independent learning according to each student's individual capabilities. In addition, technology and devices facilitate and accelerate communication between students and teachers, allowing them to work together on projects and assignments regardless of their location and even health and special needs. But most of all, students working with technology and devices are better prepared for the future world.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize the way we teach and learn, but it also brings with it a number of challenges. What are they?

Artificial intelligence raises modern education to a new, more personalized level, by considering each student in an individual way, adapting to his interests and capabilities. In addition, AI can offer guidance in areas where the student needs additional support or problem solving in understanding and applying what he has learned.

Our advances in AI are aligned with Microsoft's mission to help every person and organization on the planet achieve more. Linked to this is our approach to responsible development of AI solutions, which is based on the principles of fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusion, accountability and transparency. If these principles are applied to the needs of educational institutions in the use of AI technologies, then the challenges will be minimized.

What is the attitude of teachers towards using AI? How can it facilitate their work?

Teachers have an extremely important role to play in the AI revolution. They must prepare our children to understand and adapt to a world, which is constantly changing. AI can facilitate many of the administrative tasks of teachers, increase the quality of the educational process and personalize it. For example, it can create a lesson or a test with set parameters and save valuable time for the teacher, which he or she could use to actively communicate with students. The fear of AI is completely understandable, but if teachers manage to turn it into their friend, then this fear will transform into an advantage.

If a student has used ChatGPT to write an essay, this should not be graded, but rather the teacher should value the student's personal contribution in adapting, building on, and improving the content. Precisely for this, students' tasks should also change because they will increasingly use these tools. It is of great importance that both teachers and students familiarize themselves with the new tools and opportunities that technologies based on artificial intelligence provide in the educational process, so they can use them with a mind to upgrade for the new skills of the future.

What strategies should educators implement in the classroom for adequate use of artificial intelligence?

Educators who are not focused on adopting new forms of learning and teaching and are not using personalized learning tools and teaching methods through virtual and augmented reality will unfortunately limit the development of the future generation, our children.

Can AI also be implemented in higher education?

Every university, regardless of its scientific field, must prioritize the introduction of new curricula, teaching approaches and methods, and digital strategies that meet the individual needs of students and the future expectations of the labour market. The role of AI technologies is key in this process. Only through these can we move to a qualitative change and, above all, to an adaptation of academic activities in line with changes in technological and human progress. Collaborations with a leader in AI and education, such as Microsoft, can create a natural alliance and set ambitious goals to achieve real results.

Should there be strict regulations to promote the proper use of technology in educational institutions?

On the one hand, modern technologies based on artificial intelligence give us grounds for optimism for better quality, more personalized and efficient education. On the other hand, the responsibility for their development, implementation and, above all, use should not be overlooked. Both the IT industry and legislators play a vital role in this process. The future of the common regulatory framework should require that AI systems remain subject to human control, as well as ensure that they are subject to the rule of law. In this sense, it is imperative and urgent to create regulations for the use and application of AI technologies.

What projects are you working on with the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science?

A major focus is the development of strategies for effective implementation of technology in education. We also constantly support initiatives to improve the digital competences of teachers and students. A major success is Dream Space - a learning centre for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics), which offers free of charge to all Bulgarian students and teachers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a wide range of research-based experiences. Separately, we have various individual projects with schools and universities.

With the implementation of new technologies, the career orientation of students is also changing. What will be the professions of the future?

The Microsoft Work Trend Index report, which surveyed 31,000 people in 31 labour markets between February and March 2023, shows that business leaders are banking on several skills that will matter in the future: analytical judgment; flexibility; emotional intelligence; curiosity; critical thinking; ability to work with AI. These skills will become critical both for new professions as well as for existing ones, which are bound to evolve, aided by technology.

How do you think the world will change in the future?

These days, the speed of development and penetration of AI-based technologies is unprecedented. We should feel optimistic that this accelerating process, combined with an adequate regulatory framework and human control, will contribute to a better world.

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov