As we embark on the next phase of our AI project, building Gen AI agents to support our learners, a look at what is out there is important. This site by Educators Technology (published June 2025) has a lists of top AI teaching assistants.
The site provides a definition of AI teaching assistant as a tool to help with lesson planning, grading, content creation, student feedback, and classroom management. Routine work including real-time support to learners, instruction through automation, personalisation of content and conversational interactions with learners can also be supported.
24 teaching assistants, some of which are able to do many of the items listed above, and some more specialised ones are listed. Their functions are summarised. Many require payment. Some tech companies are leveraging technology with the inclusion of AI into established models, others are new and many perhaps more suited to the school sector (and the U S of A) rather than higher or vocational education. Most have no links, so a search is required to find them.
The discussion on AI teaching assistants needs to always consider their efficacy and whether they will replace human teachers. A June interview by Business Insider with Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy; A radio NZ overview from late last year; and an August post from Education Week (US of A context), all indicate that teacher relationships and presence are crucial to good teaching. What AI TAs can do, is provide 24/7 support on FAQs, along with providing a place for students to undertake practice or continued learning.
Therefore, using AI TA's needs to be carefully thought through. They should not replace teachers, but support teaching and learning. Identifying the components of the AI TAs role is a crucial step in making sure that learning objectives are met. Interconnecting the AI TAs role to that of the teacher, and making this visible to learners, is also important. Therefore, one aspect of AI literacy is to be able to understand how, when and why AI is used and what is the role of humans when AI takes on various roles.
