The launch of AI has resulted in a large amount of hype regarding the possibilities offered by the new technology. Is this hype justified? Is it a result of an industry push or a market pull? The answer is probably both. While the major technology companies are understandably excited by the possibilities afforded by AI and the new revenue streams that they are opening, the education community, particularly in K-12, has long been promised that PC technology will save teachers time in the classroom and in the marking and assessment processes. This is a promise that the existing iteration of PC technology and software solutions has failed to deliver for many teachers, for a variety of reasons e.g. lack of training, lack of PC literacy, access to the wrong, or outdated, devices and software solutions etc.
The rapid roll out of PC technology during the pandemic, where the global installed base of mobile PCs at K-12 increased from 91 million units in 2019 to 142 million units by the end of 2022, forced many teachers to embrace technology and did much to elevate the acceptance of mobile PCs as a central teaching and learning tool, particularly in the USA, where mobile
PC penetration exceeded 90%. Although this engagement with technology differs from market to market and even in the US from district to district and school to school.