AI and The Relational Divide in Schools
For decades, each new wave of educational technology has arrived with a familiar question: What will we lose? Will the glow of screens replace the warmth of conversation? Will automation edge out authentic interaction? These concerns are not unfounded. We've seen technology in the past widen the gap between intention and impact. But there’s something about AI that feels different. Unlike previous revolutions that distanced us from the human core of teaching, this one holds the potential to bring us closer together, not further apart.
Today, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated, “AI will make us more human.” That single line captures what many of us working in schools are beginning to realise: the true promise of AI lies not in what it automates, but in what it liberates. Not in what it replaces,but in what it restores.
And what it restores is time.
AI will make us more human.” Monday 9th June 2025
At the AI in Education Conference at Haileybury Astana, I called this shift “The AI Imperative.” In my opening keynote, I spoke about how the very foundations of schoolingstructures built for the industrial age are no longer fit for purpose. For generations, we’ve batch-processed students, marched them through rigid curricula, and assessed them against standardised, one-size-fits-all benchmarks.
But AI offers a different future, one that is more personalised, adaptive, responsive, and scalable. A future where tailored learning is not a distant vision, but a present reality.
So how does this relate with something as vital and as human as connection?
If used wisely, AI won’t distance us from our pupils; it will bring us back to them. By easing the relentless burden of admin—lesson planning, marking, resourcing, data tracking, it can return to teachers the one thing they need most: time. Recent studies suggest AI can reduce teacher administrative workloads by up to 40%. That’s not just time saved. That’s energy recaptured. Time to talk, listen, support, and teach.
AI will never replace teachers. But used appropriately to reduce workloads, it can allow them to focus on the people who matter most. It can free teachers to do what no algorithm can: build relationships with pupils, ignite curiosity, model empathy, and inspire confidence.
And yet, we must acknowledge the risk. In a world increasingly shaped by access to technology, a new kind of inequality may emerge. Well-resourced schools in affluent areas will likely use AI to deepen human connection, enhancing what already works. But under-resourced schools may be forced to rely on AI out of necessity. When that happens, the digital divide becomes a relational divide.
Some schools will gain time for connection. Others may end up outsourcing it entirely.
"The best schools won’t be defined by how much technology they have but by how deeply they invest in what makes us human". Liam Stewart
So what’s the path forward?
We must embrace AI, not as a silver bullet, but as a powerful ally. We must invest in AI literacy for both staff and students. We must reimagine assessment, moving beyond essays and exams to dialogue, design, and real-world demonstration. And most importantly, we must protect the relational core of education, the sacred space between teacher and learner.
Because in this next chapter, the best schools won’t be defined by how much technology they have—but by how deeply they invest in what makes us human.
And that’s the quiet paradox: If we do this right, AI won’t make education colder. It will make it warmer. Not less human, but more human than ever.
