Author of ‘Silicon Valley’s bible’ predicts how teaching will change

Mary Meeker is back with a new report about AI and education — and it predicts how life will change for both students and teachers. The former Morgan Stanley analyst famously began publishing her annual “Internet Trends” analysis in 1996 — a slide deck often hundreds of pages long and so widely read that some dubbed it the “Silicon Valley bible.” And after a four-year break since publishing a report, Meeker has returned to give her industry insights. Unsurprisingly, Meeker zooms in on tech’s latest upheaval: AI. Specifically looking at how education will evolve in the age of AI, Meeker writes in a Bond Capital report titled “AI & Universities” that the “biggest change is that students will have more answers at their fingertips faster — some will be right and some will be wrong.” It may be “the best time ever to be a self-motivated student,” she writes, but that presents both a challenge and opportunity for educators. “The university of the future will not look like the university of today,” she writes. For teachers, she writes that using AI to accelerate learning, even for students who miss out on in-person lectures, will be “a new art form.” “As technology evolves and becomes more widely available, teachers should be able to save time and increase productivity,” Meeker writes. The report highlights time-intensive tasks for which teachers can leverage AI, like analyzing student performance to create personalized learning plans or using generative AI models to translate raw texts and videos into assignments and learning material. “Tomorrow’s teachers may serve as cheerleader / coach as well as tutor, making the classroom more welcoming,” Meeker says. She suggests that AI can generate real-time feedback for both teachers and students. These foundational models can cater to individual learning styles, like automatic text-to-speech for dyslexic students. Meeker also writes that “reducing incremental/unpaid teacher prep work” will minimize teacher and student burnout. This extends to software that assists in grading, scheduling, attendance tracking, and homework review. As tech companies who have amassed a stockpile of AI GPUs can better attract and retain top talent, Meeker writes that schools looking to stand out and lead in research will also need to invest in AI resources. “On the research side, technical resource availability, such as GPU access, will likely be key to differentiation/leadership,” Meeker writes. While she acknowledges that AI may replace human involvement in certain areas, such as coding and computation, Meeker remains optimistic about its ability to propel human innovation. “[By] making these technical skills more of an open utility and toolset, AI can liberate human intelligence to focus more on ingenuity — the root force behind building and producing new things and ideas,” Meeker wries. You can read Meeker’s full 16-page report here.