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Companies are launching AI tutors with the promise they could 鈥渢ransform how we can close the attainment gap鈥� and reach children traditionally excluded from private tuition.

, an in-house maths tutoring company, will become the first to replace its human tutors with an AI model called Skye this September to 200 schools.

It is one of many businesses experimenting with the technology to deliver tutoring with what they argue has faster personalisation, greater flexibility and at a fraction of the cost of in-person tutoring.

Another business, , founded by a teacher, data analyst and social worker from Northampton, works by 鈥渟upplementing鈥� human tutoring with AI-generated content, quizzes, and flashcards.

But critics have warned AI 鈥渃an鈥檛 replace that connection or trust鈥� of one-to-one tutoring and could even 鈥渃reate risks for the future of education鈥�.

‘Transform the attainment gap’

In 2013 the Sutton Trust found private tuition has become 鈥渋ncreasingly popular鈥�, but is 鈥渃reating a two-tier system, with wealthier families able to pay to secure their children advantages that poorer families simply can鈥檛 afford鈥�.

While tutoring is often paid-for by parents outside of school hours, Third Space Learning (TSL) works with schools to deliver timetabled tutoring sessions for targeted children.

Tom Hooper, chief executive of TSL, said with school budgets in an 鈥渋ncredibly challenging position鈥�, tens of thousands of children could be supported by using AI tutoring.

TSL offers an unlimited number of sessions for year 4 to 6 pupils in primary schools for between 拢3,000 and 拢6,000, depending on school size. There is a 拢5,000 fixed price for secondary schools.

Hooper said the move could 鈥渢ransform how we can close the attainment gap…we鈥檝e got a long way to go, but it’s within touching distance鈥�.

Admirals Academy in Norfolk, which was part of TSL鈥檚 AI trials, said the cost savings have been 鈥渕assive鈥� and it was a 鈥渘o brainer鈥� to continue using it.

Deputy Headteacher Chris Harris told Schools Week he used to spend around 拢3,000 for around ten children to have sessions per year. Now, he spends 拢5,000 for an unlimited number of sessions for every child in the school.

Rejaul Amin, co-founder of tutoring app Educate me AI, said the technology could be used to 鈥渆mpower every learner, regardless of their postcode, privilege or learning style鈥�.

His app was launched in April to around 100 students at tuition centres in Northampton and Peterborough, with plans to launch online in September. It offers features from 拢9.99 a month.

‘Not like Chat GPT’

Hooper stressed his model was the 鈥渙pposite鈥� to experiences of large language models like ChatGPT, as children aren鈥檛 told the answers 鈥� but rather prompted to work it out, speaking aloud to Skye.

The curriculum-aligned lessons are 鈥渂uilt by teachers鈥�, who consistently review content and sessions.

Data from 2,600 TSL tutoring sessions found children who learned with Skye had slightly higher post-session assessment scores than those who learnt with human tutors.

Some parents will worry about their children interacting with more technology. But Harris suggested his pupils responded better to a 鈥渞obot鈥�, and felt 鈥渓ess judged鈥� than if they were with a human tutor.

Amin from Educate me AI said today鈥檚 pupils were now using AI 鈥渢o their disadvantage鈥�, allowing them to 鈥渃heat their way through life鈥�.

By creating a contained model based on the national curriculum, Amin argued content would be 100 per cent accurate 鈥� without random facts drawn from the internet.

Would AI tutoring replace human tutors?

The inevitable question surrounding every debate about AI is whether it is ethical to replace something traditionally delivered by people with technology.

Both TSL and Educate me AI have stressed they don鈥檛 want human tutoring to be fully replaced by AI. Rather, its use can help those who can鈥檛 afford it, or supplement those already receiving it. 

Hooper wouldn鈥檛 disclose the number of tutors that won鈥檛 have part time employment now.

But he said the shift to AI “will allow us to move from supporting thousands of students this year, to supporting tens of thousands of students next year, and all whilst reducing the cost of tutoring for schools”.

However, the jury is out for Poppy Parmar-Phillips, whose tutoring business supports neurodiverse children.

鈥淪o much of education is emotional, it shouldn鈥檛 be just academic,鈥� she explained. 鈥淲hen a tutor has a connection with a student, especially someone who is struggling with self-esteem or motivation, that weekly check in [with a tutor] can be really helpful.鈥�

‘Risks for the future of education’

Jen Persson, director of Defend Digital Me, said there were 鈥渞isks for the future of education, for staff and for pupils鈥� by replacing human tutors with AI.

“Replacing human tutors can risk eroding the relational, ethical, and democratic dimensions of education, reducing learners to data points rather than supporting their holistic learning and development.

“Depending on expectations of how much it is used across a whole day and experience of education, it could well be the case that some families will ask why bother sending a child to school at all, if they just sit in front of a screen and could do that at home?”

She warned of risks around safeguarding and data protection, and said models must be rooted in human rights frameworks with clear accountability and consent from parents.

Harris said parents, who all signed consent forms for Skye, were 鈥渧ery keen for their children to be part of it – not just for academic benefits, but for something that鈥檚 trailblazing for the future鈥�.

Another important factor is how well the models work, Ben Gadsby from education charity Impetus said, as otherwise it wasn鈥檛 worth using technology over people. 

Gadsby added it was 鈥渞eassuring that the organisations working on this have a track record of effective tutoring鈥�.

But 鈥渦ntil AI can reliably keep pupils engaged, encourage resilience and establish trust, it is much more likely to augment human tutors than replace them鈥�.