AI gap: 56% of students want to learn with AI, but UK schools lag behind with just 20% having access to AI in the classroom

• The GoStudent Future of Education Report 2024 finds 56% of children in the UK want to learn using AI, and 9 in 10 parents see AI as an effective educational tool

• A technological gap is widening in Europe with 4 in 10 children claiming to have access to AI learning tools at school in Germany and Austria, dropping to 2 in 10 in the UK and Spain and just 1 in 10 in France and Italy

• More than a third of students believe school is not preparing them for their dream job (37%)

 

London, UK: March 5, 2024 – GoStudent, one of the world’s leading tutoring providers and education platforms, has today released The GoStudent Future of Education Report 2024. Surveying 1,000 UK parents and their children, the annual report offers a unique and comprehensive view of emerging educational trends, the priorities of Gen Z and Alpha students, and sheds light on current challenges across the UK and Europe’s education systems.

 

56% of students demand AI integration in education, fuelled by the explosive growth of tools like ChatGPT

Over half of students (56%) firmly express a desire to start learning with AI now. And it’s no wonder, given the speed with which tools such as ChatGPT are transforming education – and the future world – forever.

Championing the call for AI, the report also shows that children aged 10-16 are increasingly embracing a tech-centric lifestyle, with their confidence living in a world surrounded by new technologies growing 8% from last year (80% in 2024, up from 74% in 2023).

While the Metaverse generated significant excitement among UK children in 2023, with 78% keen to learn in the virtual environment, interest waned to just 53% this year.

“The decline of interest in the  Metaverse may be due to its abstract nature and the slower development of Metaverse-related educational content, compared to other technologies like AI and VR. Students are gravitating toward tools that offer tangible and immediate educational benefits, and that they can see themselves using right now”, says Gregor Müller, COO and Co-Founder of GoStudent.

Supporting children’s appetite for AI, 9 in 10 parents in the UK see AI as an effective educational tool (53% highly effective). However, just 16% of children use AI at home to learn, suggesting parents see the benefit of the technology, but are unsure how to harness or create access to it.

Students in the UK see technology development (AI, VR, AR) as the #1 skill they need to future-ready

The 2024 Education Report shows how quickly AI has entered our consciousness, with more than 1 in 2 students believing it to be the most important topic they need to learn to be ready for the future. The top three subjects cited by children in the UK were tech development (56%), life skills (55%), finance (53%), indicating a desire to learn skills that prepare them for later life.

 

This generation knows that understanding and experimenting with emerging tech such as AI will play a huge role in building the future, and they place it as an essential pillar of their education.

Unequal access to technological tools could leave children behind in a future job market dominated by technology

Despite awareness around AI being high, just 20% of children in the UK are using AI in the classroom.

In schools across Europe, this gap is even more apparent. In Germany and Austria, 4 in 10 children claim to already have access to AI at school whereas in the UK and Spain, this drops to 2 in 10, and only 1 in 10 in Italy and France.

This lack of training in AI tools risks leaving children unequally equipped for the future workforce. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 study about the Future of Jobs, AI and big data is the number one skills priority for large companies.

Students may already realise this. In the UK, over a third (37%) of children do not believe school is teaching them the skills they need to do their dream job.

 

GoStudent CEO and Co-Founder, Felix Ohswald, comments: “We have a collective responsibility to ensure that the next generation is set up for success. With students ranking technology development as the number one skill they need to be future-ready, it’s clear that integrating AI into education is not just a matter of preference, but a necessity. We owe it to students to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in an ever-evolving world, and we must take measures now to ensure no child is left behind.”

 

Download the full GoStudent Future of Education Report 2024 here.

Methodology:

In collaboration with Edelman Data & Intelligence, GoStudent conducted its study among 5,581 parents or guardians, and 5,581 children aged 10 to 16 at the time of the survey in 6 European countries: Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom,  between October 20 and November 13, 2023. Around 1,000 parents/legal guardians and 1,000 children were interviewed in each country, ensuring a representative sample by age, gender and region.

To provide a more holistic view, GoStudent also conducted 10-minute online interviews with 60 teachers across the same countries: Austria (n=10), Germany (n=9), France (n=11), Spain (n=10), Italy (n=11), and the United Kingdom (n=9). These interviews took place between November 20 and November 29, 2023.

About GoStudent

GoStudent is one of the world’s leading tutoring providers and education platforms. Founded in Vienna, Austria, in 2016 by Felix Ohswald (CEO) and Gregor Müller (COO), the venture-backed unicorn has raised more than €675m from investors including Prosus, Left Lane Capital and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Believing the future of education is hybrid, GoStudent has expanded its offering, with the acquisition of three EdTech companies – Seneca Learning, Tus Media and Fox Education – and offline tutoring business, Studienkreis. Together, these companies aim to unite the best of the online and offline world to unlock every child’s potential. Learn more here: www.gostudent.org