The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education remains a hot topic. Some of the debate involves philosophical issues around the purpose of education and what it means to learn; other elements are far more straightforward. It is a reality that today’s students will encounter AI tools in their education and careers. There are many ways that AI can be an important tool to provide better educational opportunities. But there are also those who express legitimate concerns about the potential for AI “brain rot” or the possibility that students will become dependent on AI tools in ways that will erode their actual learning.
It is possible that both sides of the debate could be right. AI has many different applications and isn’t simply good or bad. But the reality of AI’s benefits should make us cautious of calls to ban such technology, either from classrooms or more generally.
As students head back to school, many teachers, parents, and policymakers may be asking questions about whether they want AI in the classroom. This piece will focus on two key elements: the benefits of AI in classrooms and the importance of that use being decided in ways that support students as individuals. Decisions about the appropriate role of AI in education are likely as unique as every classroom.
The Case for AI in the Classroom
The stereotype of AI in the classroom is typically a student who, rather than completing an assignment, puts a question or essay prompt into a commonly accessible chatbot program like ChatGPT and turns it in. But the real potential of AI in the classroom is better understood in much more nuanced ways. The wise use of AI in the classroom could unlock tailored educational opportunities for students while also helping parents and teachers.
For example, AI can be a powerful tool for more inclusive classrooms. Students with disabilities who might struggle with fine motor skills or need different modifications to learn may be able to use AI tools to participate in ways that would have previously been difficult. Similarly, AI tools could help students with autism understand social situations and gain skills to better interact with their peers. Even in average general-education classrooms, AI tools can help prepare personalized learning materials such as review resources or assignments tailored to the unique needs of every student.
AI tools also provide opportunities for guided learning that supports students rather than just giving them the answers. Many general-purpose AI tools like Google’s Gemini and ChatGPT now offer study modes that can help a student prepare for a test or understand a complex issue. These can be customized much more than the generally available study guides, which can quickly become outdated. This can also enable a student to better connect with material using the examples and learning styles that work best for the student.
Beyond the individual classroom, AI can also play an important role in specific school communities. For example, AI can help teachers and administrators connect with and include non-English-speaking parents in their child’s education, even if the teacher or administrator is not fluent in other languages. AI can also help teachers and administrators catch trends that might indicate a student is struggling, allowing for early intervention or further review.
(In tomorrow’s piece, I’ll dive more deeply into how teachers may be adapting to these tools, how that might affect teachers’ professional development, and how teachers’ overall role might change in the future.)
Who Decides Matters
The appropriate use of AI will vary from classroom to classroom. The AI in a kindergarten’s phonics lesson will inevitably look different from that in a high school advanced placement physics class. Depending on how AI is being used, there could be a reason to embrace it in each classroom or a reason to prevent its use. The best people to make that decision are the individual teachers, in consultation with parents. In fact, how AI gets used should ultimately be one more element of choice for parents in their children’s education.
Some families have technologically rich environments at home and may see school as a time to keep children from developing a dependence on such tools. Other families may view school as an opportunity to ensure that their children be exposed to technology they might not have access to at home and learn the skills to navigate that technology. It is understandable that such families might have different needs or wants when it comes to AI and education and thus choose different types of schools. This also requires allowing schools and individual teachers to make decisions about what best fits their community and students’ needs. Such decisionmaking can be far more nuanced than top-down policies even at a school district level, let alone at a state or federal level.
If policymakers or school administrators are considering how to address the issue of AI while maintaining this choice, there are some clear policy options to consider. The first is whether existing requirements or standards prohibit the potential use (by teachers or students) of AI tools in the classroom and whether those standards or requirements might need to be adjusted. If there are existing digital literacy or technology standards for a subject or grade level, these should be updated to reflect the current reality of AI. An ideal standard would be adaptable and allow schools and teachers to prepare students for any cutting-edge standard, rather than dictating specific elements that can quickly become outdated. Additionally, schools should inform and explain to parents the use of any AI-related tools in the classroom. This should be framed in ways that allow parents to make their own empowered choices about any concerns or preferences and be engaged in their children’s technology use beyond the classroom. Last, but certainly not least, adopting a school choice program, such as education savings accounts, tax credits, or vouchers, would enable parents across the income spectrum to choose the educational environments that work best for their families.
Conclusion
Many seem to assume that AI in the classroom is tantamount to cheating, but wise use of AI is far more nuanced and has numerous potential benefits. Although AI should not be viewed as an educational panacea, it can be an important and powerful tool for students and teachers. As with almost everything in education, this is not a one-size-fits-all issue but a choice for parents, teachers, and administrators to consider as they prepare today’s students for future success.
