SEOUL, November 28 (AJP) - South Korea’s Ministry of Education is set to introduce AI digital textbooks in March 2025 for grades 3 to 4 in elementary schools and first year students in middle and high schools, focusing on English, mathematics and information technology.
The AI education technology sector has shown significant growth, with startups like FastCampus CIC expanding their AI-based lectures from 36 to approximately 150 courses over the past year.
Riiid, another edutech startup, reported a 470 percent increase in monthly paid users for its AI-based elementary English service "Real Academy" within a month of its September launch.
“The decline in literacy is not simply due to the introduction of technology, but results can vary depending on how actively students utilize the content,” an edutech industry official said. The official added, "Literacy can be strengthened through diagnostic-based learning that evaluates students’ current literacy and supplements deficient areas with customized learning."
Industry experts suggest the success of AI digital textbooks will depend on content quality and proper implementation, while concerns persist regarding digital device dependency and literacy skills. Recent controversy over an AI chatbot's questionable response about territorial disputes has also raised concerns about ethical content control.
“While using AI for corporate job training has clear objectives in applying learning content to work, AI education in schools does not immediately show results,” an ICT industry official said, emphasizing that “the key is whether appropriate content can be properly applied to the educational platform."
The initiative has faced public opposition, with over 56,600 people signing a nationwide petition against the introduction of AI digital textbooks. The Ministry of Education plans to complete the verification and revision of AI digital textbooks by Friday.
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