Chinese schools are testing AI that grades papers almost as well as teachers

Some schools in China have incorporated paper-grading artificial intelligence into their classrooms, according to the South China Morning Post. One in every four schools, or about 60,000 institutions, are quietly testing a machine learning-powered system that can score students' work automatically, and even offer suggestions where appropriate. The AI, which can be accessed through various online portals, and which the report describes as similar to the system used by the Education Testing Service in the U.S., uses an evolving "knowledge base" to interpret the "general logic" and "meaning" of pupils' essays and to highlight stylistic, structural, and thematic areas that need improvement. It can read both English and Chinese, and it's reportedly perceptive enough to notice when paragraphs veer too far off topic. The 10-year-old grading software leverages deep learning algorithms to "compare notes" with human teachers' scores, suggestions, and comments.