AI Will Personalize Education, Learning, Research as the Internet Personalized Content

All the angst we sometimes hear notwithstanding, new technology including artificial intelligence always changes learning, teaching and research. Once upon a time the invention of printing enabled mass availability of books. Television enabled distance learning. Personal computers individualized instruction. 

The internet broke geographical barriers and made instant knowledge access possible. Smartphones mean we can learn any place, any time. AI might simply enable more personalization and customization of learning or research than has been possible, until now, in the same way that the internet has allowed personalization and customization of content for individuals. 

 

Technology	Era	Impact on Learning	Impact on Education	Impact on Research
Printing Press	15th Century	Enabled mass production of books, increasing literacy	Standardized curricula and made knowledge more widely accessible	Allowed for broader dissemination of research findings
Television & Radio	20th Century	Brought educational content to remote locations	Allowed for distance learning and public education programs	Provided a medium for academic discussions and public dissemination
Personal Computers	Late 20th Century	Allowed for interactive learning via software	Digitalized education and enabled early e-learning	Increased computational power for data analysis
Internet & Search Engines	1990s-Present	Gave instant access to global knowledge	Enabled online courses, MOOCs, and remote education	Made literature reviews and information retrieval faster
Smartphones & Mobile Learning	2000s-Present	Allowed learning anywhere, anytime	Mobile apps and microlearning increased accessibility	Enabled field research and instant data collection
Artificial Intelligence (AI)	2020s-Present	Personalized learning experiences and AI tutoring	Automated grading, chatbots for student support, and data-driven education strategies	AI accelerates data analysis, hypothesis generation, and automates research tasks
Virtual & Augmented Reality (VR/AR)	Emerging	Immersive, experiential learning (e.g., medical simulations)	Enhances classroom engagement with interactive lessons	Enables virtual labs and remote field studies
Blockchain	Emerging	Secure academic credentials and transcripts	Prevents diploma fraud and enhances credential verification	Secure, tamper-proof research records