In the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI), can generative AI-made teaching videos deliver learning outcomes comparable to those of human-made videos? A recent study explored this question by comparing the effectiveness of four generative AI-made videos with four human-made videos on the same topics in a management course. The online intervention involved 447 US-based laypeople, most of whom had completed higher education. The study included two experimental conditions: in the first, 213 participants watched four teaching videos in a human-AI-human-AI sequence; in the second, 234 participants watched them in an AI-human-AI-human sequence. After each video, participants completed a survey rating their learning experience, followed by a multiple-choice exam to assess learning outcomes.
Results showed that human-made videos provided a small but statistically significant advantage in learning experience, suggesting that the participants still preferred human teachers in the videos. Regarding learning outcomes, participants in both conditions achieved a similar degree of acquired knowledge. The authors noted that as generative AI-made teaching videos become increasingly common due to their ease of production, researchers and educators should critically explore ways to use generative AI-made content to improve learning experiences, while being mindful of potential limitations and ethical considerations in production and use.
Source (Open Access): Netland, T., von Dzengelevski, O., Tesch, K., & Kwasnitschka, D. (2025). Comparing human-made and AI-generated teaching videos: An experimental study on learning effects. Computers & Education, 224, 105164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105164