Scaffolding human and AI instruction: Neural alignment and learning gains in online education.

AI-led pre-lecture interactions produce comparable learning gains to human instructors, enhancing neural alignment in key brain regions during online education.

• Why it matters: Understanding how scalable AI can replicate the social and cognitive benefits of human instruction addresses a major challenge in online learning, aiming to improve engagement and outcomes.
• What they did: The study involved 57 students divided into no interaction, human, and AI instructor groups, using behavioral tests, eye-tracking, and fMRI to assess neural and gaze alignment during learning sessions.
• The result: Both AI and human interactions improved learning and neural synchronization, with AI nearly matching human instructors in effectiveness, though students felt less socially connected with AI.