The Human Touch—Could AI Replace the Virtual Classroom Producer?

AI is all around us. We interact with it on a daily basis, from digital voice assistants such as Siri to facial recognition which opens our mobile phones and banking apps. AI is now so integrated into our day-to-day lives that it would be hard to escape it should you ever want to. 

Unarguably, AI does make our lives easier and, in many ways, safer. For example, streaming services like Netflix and music platforms like Spotify use AI to provide personalized recommendations based on user behavior. AI systems also play a critical role in medical diagnostics. By analyzing vast amounts of medical data, AI can identify patterns and correlations that might be missed by human doctors.

But although we are continuously utilizing AI—and most of the time without even realising it—do we truly trust AI? The majority of people still have many reservations about AI. Most stressing reservations include ones like these: could AI steel my identity? Is AI tracking my every move? Could AI take over the world? COULD AI STEAL MY JOB? 

Could AI Steal My Job? 

I have worked as a Virtual Classroom Producer for thirteen years, and during that time, I have seen the role adjust and evolve, in some ways quite drastically. Virtual learning platforms have advanced, undeniably for the better. The companies that develop and sell the virtual learning platforms have learned from one another and developed with the advancement of technology. They have created more user-friendly, synergistic classrooms. They have applied the features that work and improved the ones that haven’t worked. They are continuously updating. 

With all the technology developments today, it’s no surprise that AI is also advancing into the virtual classroom. We can already see it being used in Zoom’s AI Companion, available to Zoom’s paying customers. Some of its features include Chat Compose which will “[d]raft chat messages for your Lobby chat based on conversational context” and Smart Content which will “[w]rite compelling event content when setting up an event including event description, session descriptions, [and] speaker bios.” 

Pretty cool, right? These features are designed to make our lives easier. But with Zoom describing AI Companion as your new GENERATIVE companion, many L&D professionals wonder: could I soon be out of a job? 

To answer that question, we need to consider what a human Virtual Classroom Producer can provide to the virtual classroom that AI cannot provide.   

Real Empathy and Emotion 

One thing a human producer can provide that AI can’t is real empathy and real emotions.  AI can react to emotion; it can respond in an “appropriate” way. To give a virtual classroom example, if a participant lost their audio, AI could provide the participant a set of instructions to get them re-connected, but it can’t empathize with the situation. It has never experienced the situation.  

However, AI can’t identify the anxiety a participant would feel when their internet connection drops or the worry and disappointment a participant might be feeling if they had to drop out of the session early because their child is ill. AI could tell the participant how sorry it feels that the participant is experiencing that issue or problem, but it doesn’t actually have empathy.  

Authenticity

As humans, we all know what it feels like when an indifferent person tries to reassure us or express their concern. You can immediately tell if the person is being authentic or not. 

I was chatting to a facilitator about this very thing and asked her how she would feel if she had an AI producer rather than a human producer. She told me about her frustrating experience using Customer Service chat pods and said if it was anything like that, then no, she wouldn’t be swapping her human producer for AI.  

It made me think about my own experience with AI Customer Service chat pods. They always remain extremely polite no matter the situation or how frustrated I am. On some occasions they have been able to resolve my issue, but in my experience on most occasions, they haven’t. I have been left feeling misunderstood and unheard and have left the chat demanding, “I WANT TO SPEAK TO A REAL PERSON!” The whole thing can be very frustrating. 

Warmth and Inclusivity 

Creating a feeling of inclusivity, safety, and warmth in the virtual classroom environment is one of the biggest responsibilities of a Virtual Classroom Producer. It is our job to ensure we create an environment where our participants feel confident to actively participate, an environment where they know their participation will be valued and their responses heard.  

How does the producer do that? Right from the start of the session, we warmly welcome the participants. We get to know our participants. As we check their audio, we chat to them about where they are located, and we learn if they have had a busy week and even information such as if they are suffering from a cold. We make it personable, and we ensure they know they can approach us for assistance at any time. 

Could AI really emulate that same warmth and create that same inclusive environment? Would AI implement those subtle nuances that go above and beyond, such as assigning a participant who is suffering from a cold to a breakout room with more participants, so they don’t feel as obliged to speak up?

Although AI could complete tasks such as assigning breakouts, activating polls, and tracking attendance, the producer is a person that truly cares. 

A Reassuring Human Presence 

I have been told many times by facilitators how reassuring it is to have another human voice in the session and that an advocate is right there with them for the duration of the session.  

Recently I was reminded how truly reassuring it can be for a facilitator to have that second human presence in the session. I was producing for a facilitator who was using AI-assisted PowerPoint during her session to advance her slides. Unfortunately, the AI wasn’t working properly, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t get the feature to work.  

I was there to back her up, slides ready. I was able to share the slides for her and advance them so she could fully concentrate on the content and the participants. Most importantly, I was someone there to discuss the issue with and to provide support and a solution based on my experience. 

A Wealth of Experience  

The producer is a sounding board for the facilitator, there to provide assistance in the decision-making process and then back up those decisions with a wealth of experience and reasoning. AI would struggle, not with the decision making, but with the explanation as to why it made that decision and the reasoning behind it.  

According to Laurence Santy in his article “14 Things That AI Can Do and Can’t Do (So Far),” 

AI has an “explainability” problem. It provides answers and predictions based on the algorithms and data models that it uses to learn, but consumers of AI-powered products aren’t likely to know exactly what information the AI uses for decision-making. For example, when determining if an image depicts a human being, does the AI make a judgment based on “seeing” a mouth, or an eye, or a nose in the image? And, as a recent McKinsey Quarterly article noted, the larger and more complex data models become, the more difficult it becomes to explain, in human terms, why AI reached a certain decision.

Therefore, it is extremely likely that any explanations provided by AI would be extremely complicated. As humans, we need that explanation and the simpler, the better. Explanations and reasoning help us to fully understand and learn from our mistakes.   

In conclusion, in my opinion, AI cannot replace the Virtual Classroom Producer. There is no argument that AI is truly a brilliant tool. We should embrace it and collaborate with it in ways that enhance the virtual learning experience. However, while AI provides many benefits, it will never substitute real human interaction.  

For a closer look at the differences and synergies between Natural Intelligence (NI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), read Karen Vieth’s blog “Navigating the Future of Learning: Natural vs. Artificial Intelligence.”

For more insights and personalized advice on how to adapt AI to your training programs, connect with one of our Virtual Learning Experts. Let's shape the future of learning together! 

References: 

 What is AI (artificial intelligence)? | McKinsey 

The 10 Best Examples of How AI Is Already Used in Our Everyday Life | Forbes 

The sunny and the dark side of AI | The Economist 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence? | Tableau 

Reskilling Reinvented: Top 10 AI-Powered Learning Platforms to Consider Today | 360learning.com 

Getting started with Zoom AI Companion features | Zoom Support

14 Things AI Can — and Can't Do (So Far)  |  invoca.com