In the UK, where teacher recruitment and retention is becoming increasingly dire, schools have started experimenting with new and controversial technology – including AI-generated “deepfake” avatars and remote teaching staff. Local media outlets are tracking these as answers to the mass understaffing and overwork in the education sector and delving into the ethics and practicalities.
Emergence of the deepfake teacher
One of the most radical experiments underway is the use of AI to construct realistic digital avatars of real-life teachers. At the Great Schools Trust, for example, staff are trialling technology that creates video clones of themselves to teach . These "deepfake" teachers are mainly intended to help students state up on the curriculum if they have missed class for whatever reason. By deploying these avatars, schools hope they can provide students with reliable, high-quality instruction without further taxing the physical teacher’s time.
Advocates including Mr. Ierston maintain the technology is not replacing human teachers but freeing them from monotonous work. The vision is that AI can take over the administrative tasks and the routine delivery, with human teachers concentrating on delivering personalised support and managing the classroom. In addition to catch-up lessons, the technology also has translation features, so schools can speak to parents in dozens of different languages, instantly.
Alongside AI avatars, schools are turning increasingly to remote teaching models to fill holes in core subjects such as math. The report draws attention to a Lancashire secondary school which has appointed a maths teacher who is now living thousands of miles away. This now-remote staffer teaches a class of students from a classroom via live video link, a strategy forced by necessity in communities where finding qualified teachers is a pipe dream.
Human cost of high-tech solutions
Despite the potential efficiency gains, the shift has sparked significant scepticism from unions and educators. Critics argue that teaching is fundamentally an interpersonal profession that relies on human connection, empathy, and the ability to read a room—qualities that a screen or an avatar cannot replicate.
There are widespread concerns that such measures could de-professionalize the sector and serve as a "sticking plaster" rather than addressing the root causes of the recruitment crisis, such as pay and working conditions. While the government and tech advocates view these tools as a way to "level the playing field" and reduce workload, many in the profession remain wary of a future where the teacher at the front of the room might not be there at all.