David Yan on education, role of AI and Armenia's chances of becoming a global IT leader (EXCLUSIVE)
YEREVAN, May 16. /ARKA/. One of the leading entrepreneurs in the world of IT technology, David Yan, a native of Yerevan, a graduate of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology is known as the founder of ABBYY group, Cybiko, iiko projects and the Ayb School in Yerevan.
In recent years, Yan and his team have been intensively engaged in artificial intelligence and smart technology research. ARKA-Telecom's correspondent spoke to David Yan about the principles of education of the future, the influence of technologies on mankind and Armenia's role in this process.
ARKA - What role do you think artificial intelligence will play in the education of the future? Can AI replace teachers?
D. Yan - I would entrust an artificial intelligent teacher with education provided that this teacher passes the exams and is qualified according to the principle of education which I support. I don't want to give my children to a teacher I don't know and who can teach them something I can't even imagine. It is likely that the newest educational AI systems will be tested in much the same way that regular teachers are. If they pass exams they can be allowed to teach.
ARKA - How do you see the school of the future? Does Armenia have a chance of becoming one of the leading countries in IT education?
D. Yan - I think Armenia will definitely be among the leading countries. Such projects as TUMO, Ayb School, Dilijan International School and others show that, at least per capita, the number of quality educational projects in Armenia is high. I see the future of education as a hybrid system of remote offline-online education, when children will experience the same oxytocin and dopamine from physically meeting each other, but will have access to teachers from California, France and China. And this means that the importance of geographical presence will become less and Armenia may be the point that will unite this.
ARKA - What steps should Armenia take to achieve this goal?
D. Yan For example, we at Ayb School are trying to make the educational system accessible to the Diaspora in California, so far Armenian-speaking, but this is just the beginning. We would like to make an educational system with instruction in English, Russian and French languages. So, we have to do it and to gather like-minded people around us and then everything will work out. --0--