Anishkaa Malpani, Director, Dhruv Global School, in Dubai, argues that AI can help foster creativity and critical thinking in education, and makes a case against some of the scepticism over the introduction and use of AI in classrooms.
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, the traditional emphasis on grades and standardized testing is increasingly viewed as an insufficient way to measure student potential. While grades provide a quantifiable metric for assessment, they often fail to capture essential skills like creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving—capabilities that are vital for success in the 21st century.
Artificial intelligence, once viewed with skepticism in educational context, is emerging as a powerful ally in fostering these crucial competencies beyond the confines of conventional grading systems.
The Limitations of Traditional Assessment
For decades, our education systems hinged on students completing standardized tests that solely relied on rote learning and routine execution of problem-solving. This approach often discourages risk-taking and innovation since students would learn to chase the “correct” answers instead. This pursuit of good grades can result in anxiety, low internal motivation, as well as avoidance of stimulating work that may involve a level of failure for learning to take place.
As Sir Ken Robinson famously remarked, “We are educating people out of their creative capacities.” An education that emphasizes perfect scores instead of substantive learning is likely to produce graduates who are proficient at following directions but incompetent in dealing with ambiguities and non-directive situations, which is the hallmark of contemporary workplaces.
Define AI as a Creative Partner
These restrictions can be circumvented through the use of artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional measuring instruments, AI systems can evaluate student performance on different parameters, appreciating the creativity and imagination incorporated into the work, which is often ignored by traditional marking systems.
Consider AI-powered writing assistants that provide formative feedback rather than simply marking errors. These tools can highlight creative elements in student writing, suggest alternative perspectives, and encourage stylistic experimentation—all while giving students agency to accept or reject suggestions. This approach transforms writing from a performance to be judged into a collaborative process where creativity flourishes.
Cultivating Critical Thinking Through Personalized Learning
Possibly, the most transforming aspect of AI technology is its ability to assist in personalizing learning. Lectures in a conventional classroom tend to be standardized, meaning students with different abilities can struggle to keep up or be bored. AI-powered adaptive learning platforms can adjust content and level of difficulties to the individual needs of the student creating an ideal environment for their critical thinking faculties.
These systems can encapsulate critical thinking and can also determine when a student is prepared to tackle more sophisticated materials which involve deeper analysis, synthesis of ideas, or contemplate and evaluate conflicting points of views to the subject matter at stake. Normally, progression through curriculum is age based, but mastery of material provides a more logical basis for personalization.
Liberating Teachers from Administrative Burdens
Today, teachers face a growing challenge: balancing quality classroom instruction with an ever-increasing load of academic administrative work. Lesson planning, grading, progress reporting, attendance tracking, and data analysis consume precious hours that could otherwise be dedicated to meaningful student interactions and innovative teaching approaches.
This is where AI has become invaluable. Intelligent systems can now handle much of the administrative burden by automating routine tasks such as:
- Grading objective assessments and providing preliminary feedback on subjective assignments
- Generating customized lesson plans based on curriculum requirements and student needs
- Tracking attendance and participation patterns
- Creating detailed progress reports and identifying intervention opportunities
- Managing classroom schedules and resource allocation
By taking on these time-consuming administrative responsibilities, AI allows teachers to reclaim their core purpose: inspiring, mentoring, and engaging directly with students. The technology doesn’t replace teachers but rather empowers them to focus on the human elements of education that cannot be automated—building relationships, nurturing curiosity, providing emotional support, and facilitating collaborative learning experiences.
From Summative to Formative Assessment
AI is helping to shift the emphasis from summative assessment (measuring learning after instruction) to formative assessment (guiding learning during instruction). Through continuous analysis of student work, AI systems can provide immediate, specific feedback that helps students understand their thinking processes and identify opportunities for growth.
Unlike traditional grades, which often arrive too late to impact learning, AI-facilitated feedback creates tight learning loops where students can immediately apply insights to improve their work. This approach demystifies the evaluation process and helps students develop metacognitive skills—the ability to reflect on and direct their own learning strategies.
Ethical Considerations and the Human Element
Despite these promising applications, we must approach AI integration thoughtfully. Technology should amplify human creativity and critical thinking, not replace them. The most effective implementations of AI in education maintain the crucial role of human teachers as mentors, guides, and sources of wisdom and inspiration.
We must also ensure that AI systems recognize and reward diverse expressions of creativity and critical thinking across cultural contexts. Without careful design, AI could inadvertently reinforce narrow definitions of these capabilities that disadvantage students from underrepresented backgrounds.
A New Educational Paradigm
As we reimagine education beyond grades, AI offers tools to create learning environments where creativity and critical thinking are not just valued but actively cultivated. In this new paradigm, assessment becomes less about sorting and ranking students and more about providing insights that fuel growth and development.
Students in AI-enhanced learning environments can develop portfolios that showcase their creative processes, critical analysis, and intellectual evolution—evidence of their capabilities that far exceeds what a single letter grade could convey. These rich demonstrations of student thinking provide more meaningful information to future employers and institutions than traditional transcripts.
Conclusion
The integration of AI in education represents an opportunity to transcend the limitations of traditional grading systems and nurture the creative and critical thinking skills essential for navigating an uncertain future. By leveraging AI as a partner in the educational process, we can create learning experiences that honor the uniqueness of each student’s mind while providing the guidance necessary for intellectual growth.
As we move forward, the measure of educational success will not be found in perfect grades but in students’ ability to think deeply, create boldly, and approach complex problems with confidence and flexibility. Artificial intelligence, thoughtfully implemented, can help us realize this vision of education that truly prepares students for the challenges and opportunities that await them.
Lastly, AI is here to help us and vice- versa.
