Overview
- Student use of generative AI has surged since 2022, with a recent Pew survey finding over half of teens use it for schoolwork and other reporting putting assignment use as high as 84%.
- Guidance is patchy: a 2025 College Board report found only 13% of schools encouraged AI use across classes and about 20% had no policies at all.
- A January Brookings review concluded the risks of generative AI in children’s education currently outweigh benefits, aligning with a 2025 Microsoft study tying AI use to poorer judgment and critical thinking.
- A neuroscientist told Congress that greater classroom screen time correlates with lower standardized scores and cited PISA data suggesting Gen Z may be less cognitively capable than their parents.
- Even as concerns grow, many teachers use AI for lesson planning and to adjust reading levels for English learners, and experts including the OECD and education commentators urge building AI literacy and ethics rather than prohibitions.
- In higher education, professors report student dependence on AI and are shifting to oral exams and handwritten work, while Ohio State now requires “AI fluency” courses and tech-company training and access deals face faculty pushback.