AI use reaches 86% among Latvian school staff as support falls short

Artificial intelligence tools are now used by 86% of school staff in Latvia, but researchers say data security and funding still need to be addressed, LSM reported, citing figures presented at a conference on AI in education on Monday.

Teachers use AI to prepare materials, automate tasks and save time. Only a small proportion said they use it to improve the quality of education.

At Daugavpils State Polish Gymnasium, English teacher Natālija Karpenko demonstrated Emma, a chatbot developed by her colleague Anna Beļska. Ninth-grade pupils will be able to use it to practise for the oral part of their English exam. Emma listens to their speech, suggests improvements and estimates a score.

Karpenko said the tool does not always assess pupils’ performance correctly, so a teacher still needs to review their work. Teachers have tested Emma so far, and pupils are expected to start using it in November. The school hopes it will help them feel more confident speaking English.

Oskars Brikšis, head of Riga Mežciems Basic School, said AI could reduce teachers’ administrative workload. He gave entering grades into the e-klase system as an example: teachers currently mark tests by hand and then manually enter the results. Automating such tasks could give teachers more time to prepare lessons and provide feedback, he said.