Artificial Intelligence in Schools

Artificial intelligence has changed education very quickly. In only a few years, students and teachers have gained access to tools that can write essays, explain difficult ideas, solve problems, translate languages, create images, and find information.

This creates both opportunity and risk.

I do not believe AI is useless. I use AI myself, and I believe it can be extremely helpful when used correctly. However, I also believe AI can damage learning when students use it to avoid thinking.

The problem is not AI itself.

The problem is how we use it.

There has been growing concern about student performance, attention, information retention, and academic integrity in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic, social media, changes in technology, and other factors have all affected education. It would be too simple to blame AI alone. AI tools only became widely available to students very recently.

Research on AI and cheating is also more complicated than it may seem. A 2024 study of high school students found that overall self-reported cheating did not greatly increase after ChatGPT became widely available. However, students had mixed views about what kinds of AI use were acceptable. Many students believed using AI to write an entire paper should not be allowed, while using it to explain ideas or help start an assignment was viewed more positively.

That difference is important.

AI can either support learning or replace learning.

When I use AI, I set clear limits. I do not want it to complete my assignments for me. Instead, I may ask it to explain information I do not understand, simplify difficult wording, translate material, or ask me questions that help me develop my own answers.

This allows me to continue thinking for myself.

If AI helps us understand difficult information, then it can become a powerful learning tool. But if we simply tell AI to complete our work, very little learning takes place.

Students should be allowed to use AI to support their current skills.

A graduate student may use AI to help locate research sources. An English language learner may use it to understand grammar. A teacher may use it to simplify a lesson plan or generate practice questions.

Those uses can support learning.

However, if a student asks AI to complete an essay, solve an entire assignment, or answer questions with little or no personal effort, I consider that cheating unless the teacher has specifically allowed it.

The student did not demonstrate the skill being assessed.

Schools should teach proper AI use.

I do not think AI needs to become a full subject by itself in every school because the technology changes too quickly. Instead, schools can include AI workshops, digital literacy lessons, and guided practice throughout different subjects.

Students should learn about AI as soon as they begin using digital devices in a meaningful way. The exact age should depend on the tool, the school, and the maturity of the students.

UNESCO has already developed AI competency frameworks for both students and teachers. It argues that schools need to teach safe, ethical, and human-centered AI use rather than simply allowing technology to enter classrooms without guidance.

Students should understand that AI can make mistakes.

I learned this myself during the early years of ChatGPT. I sometimes asked it to give me algebra problems so I could improve my mathematics skills. There were times when it marked one of my answers wrong even though the answer was correct.

AI systems are created by people and trained on human-made information. They can produce errors, reflect bias, misunderstand questions, or provide false information.

Students therefore need to learn how to check AI instead of automatically trusting it.

Assessment must also change.

Any important assignment that can reasonably be completed in class should include some in-class work. It is now very easy for students to generate essays or answers at home without showing what they actually understand.

That does not mean all homework is useless.

Homework can still provide practice, review, reading, and preparation. But teachers may need to connect homework to something that proves understanding. That could include an oral explanation, an in-class quiz, a short written reflection, or a discussion.

Assessment should show what the student knows, not what the AI knows.

I believe students should also be required to explain when and how they used AI on major assignments. If AI helped with brainstorming, grammar, translation, or research, that should be stated clearly.

Teachers can then decide whether the use was acceptable.

For some assignments, traditional pen-and-paper work may become more valuable again. Writing by hand in the classroom can give teachers a clearer picture of what students can actually do without outside assistance.

AI will also change the skills students need for employment.

There is fear that AI and robotics will replace many types of work. Some tasks will almost certainly become more automated. However, current labor forecasts suggest that AI will also create new jobs and increase demand for new skills. The World Economic Forum reports that AI, big data, cybersecurity, and technological literacy are among the fastest-growing skill areas. At the same time, human skills such as creative thinking, resilience, flexibility, and collaboration are also expected to remain important.

This means students should not prepare only for machines.

They should prepare to work with machines.

Technical fields such as engineering, computer science, robotics, electronics, cybersecurity, and data systems will likely continue to grow in importance.

But human skills will remain essential.

Compassion is one of them. AI can copy emotional language, but it does not live through human experiences the way people do.

Creativity is another.

AI can create impressive images, music, and writing, but human creativity is connected to personal experience, culture, emotion, memory, and purpose.

Critical thinking may become even more important in the age of AI.

Students need to ask:

Is this information true?

Where did it come from?

Can I confirm it?

Does the answer make sense?

Is something missing?

Good judgment, fact-checking, communication, and problem-solving will become increasingly important because people will need to judge the information AI produces.

Teachers also need AI training.

I do not think teachers should be forced to use AI for everything. Heavy dependence on AI could weaken creativity and professional judgment.

But teachers should understand the technology their students are using.

AI can help teachers locate resources, create practice materials, simplify explanations, organize lessons, or improve their own skills. The teacher should remain responsible for deciding whether the material is accurate and useful.

UNESCO has also called for teacher training and clear safeguards before generative AI is fully integrated into education.

If a teacher relies on AI for every lesson, every assignment, every comment, and every decision, then professional skill begins to weaken.

AI should assist the teacher.

It should not become the teacher.

The same principle applies to students.

Students need to think for themselves, solve problems, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. AI should help them understand information, not remove the need to understand it.

Schools should not ban AI completely. That would ignore the world students are entering.

Schools should also not allow unlimited AI use. That would weaken learning.

The best approach is controlled use.

Students should complete their own work.

Teachers should design assessments that prove understanding.

Schools should teach students how to use AI safely, ethically, and responsibly.

And everyone should remember one basic rule: AI should support human thinking, not replace it.

Note: This article is written in a reflective interview format, exploring how education systems and classroom realities interact across different contexts.

Reference

UNESCO. Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research. UNESCO, 2023, www.unesco.org/en/articles/guidance-generative-ai-education-and-research. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.

UNESCO. “Artificial Intelligence and the Futures of Learning.” UNESCO, www.unesco.org/en/digital-education/ai-future-learning. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.

UNESCO. “UNESCO: Governments Must Quickly Regulate Generative AI in Schools.” UNESCO, 7 Sept. 2023, www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-governments-must-quickly-regulate-generative-ai-schools. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.

“Cheating in the Age of Generative AI: A High School Survey Study of Cheating Behaviors Before and After the Release of ChatGPT.” Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, vol. 7, 2024, article 100253, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X24000560. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.

World Economic Forum. The Future of Jobs Report 2025. World Economic Forum, 2025, www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.

World Economic Forum. “Future of Jobs Report 2025: 78 Million New Job Opportunities by 2030 but Urgent Upskilling Needed to Prepare Workforces.” World Economic Forum, 8 Jan. 2025, www.weforum.org/press/2025/01/future-of-jobs-report-2025-78-million-new-job-opportunities-by-2030-but-urgent-upskilling-needed-to-prepare-workforces/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.

World Economic Forum. Jobs of Tomorrow: Technology and the Future of the World’s Largest Workforces 2025. World Economic Forum, 2025, www.weforum.org/publications/jobs-of-tomorrow-technology-and-the-future-of-the-world-s-largest-workforces/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2026.