Morehouse to be the first university to use virtual AI teaching assistants

Morehouse College is planning to use AI teaching assistants to help crack the code of education.

Why it matters: Morehouse professor Muhsinah Morris says every professor will have an AI assistant in three to five years.

• Morris says the technology has taken off in the last 24 months faster than it has in the last 24 years. Meanwhile, baby boomers are leaving the workforce amid national teacher shortages and burnout.

How it works: Morehouse professors will collaborate with technology partner VictoryXR to create virtual 3D spatial avatars. The avatars use OpenAI to have two-way oral conversations with students.

• The avatars use professor-created content and 3D models for lessons, such as molecules for chemistry lessons, to help students.
• Avatars can also respond to unrelated topics raised by students and redirect the students back to the lesson.
• Students will have 24/7 online access to the avatar, which can communicate in a student's native language.

What they're saying: Morris called the avatars the world's first spatial AI teaching assistants.

• She says this tech could bridge the education gap among all learners. She also hopes it'll make education a more loving, enjoyable experience.

Flashback: VictoryXR and Morehouse launched the nation's first " metaversity " in 2021.

• Morris says Morehouse became the blueprint for 120 metaverses, spawning virtual reality classrooms at several historically Black colleges and universities.

What's next: Morris says at least five Morehouse professors are slated to have AI teaching assistants beginning this September.

Stunning stat: A RAND Corporation survey from April found one in three public K-12 teachers nationwide have used AI in their lessons at least once.

Friction point: A Pew Research Center survey conducted in fall 2023 found about one-third (32%) of public K-12 teachers say using AI tools in education creates "an equal mix of benefit and harm."

• 25% of the teachers surveyed said AI in schools does more harm than good. Another 35% said they were unsure.

Worthy of your time: Experiment with Morris' AI teaching assistant today via a Chrome browser.

Sign up for Axios Atlanta for free.