The Hurdles of Virtual Reality and Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education

Much like virtual reality (VR) some years ago, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a general term has recently seen an explosion in interest as educational technology. Although VR in education has received significant attention over the past decade, its widespread adoption in classrooms has not materialized, and similar patterns may repeat for large-scale use of GenAI in middle and secondary school education. Both technologies share issues related to basic concepts, usability, perceived usefulness, and sustainable mass deployment in educational settings. This means that significant financial, environmental and human resources might be spent with very little overall benefit for most students. We discuss solutions for achieving more efficient and productive outcomes in secondary education and suggest avenues for further meaningful research.