Schools should rethink A.I. use
The hype around A.I. is loud and boisterous. The claim that technology is a “game-changer” for education creates intense pressure on educators to use it. The public education system, continuing its search for resources to improve opportunities for students, has become an avenue for large tech companies to enact their agendas. Public schools are spending upwards of $30 billion a year on hardware and software. According to a 2025 National Center for Education Statistics survey 88% of US public schools issue devices to every student. Targeting elementary schoolers provides a huge market for technology and enhances big tech capturing long-term customers.
Though the use of technology in schools is not new, Google, Microsoft and Apple, each with A.I., provide classroom consultants to influence how and what school children learn. Tech giants supply apps for students to write essays and analyze data and establish platforms that connect students and teachers. A.I. can generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process. It helps automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work.
The use of A.I. begs the question: how effective is it? The data are not encouraging. Despite the wide use of learning apps, little evidence shows increased student achievement. A recent M.I.T. Media Lab study revealed that participants relying on ChatGPT to write an essay demonstrated poorer memory recall of the essay they had just written and less ownership over their writing than those who did not use the technology. Study after study shows that students’ comprehension is better when they read printed material rather than content on screens. Similarly, they comprehend more when they write notes by hand rather than typing them.
A.I. is moving fast and its impact on student learning will be profound. In my view, the only way we can control A.I. is to demystify it and to decide rationally how to use its power. We hear fears of what A.I. will do TO us. We need to ask: what do we hope it will do for us?