ATLANTA — Many Georgia public school teachers see artificial intelligence as a time-saving tool that improves their work performance, but they say it causes more harm than good for students.
In a survey conducted this spring with responses from 13,679 teachers in 150 of Georgia’s 180 school districts, the Georgia Office of the Comptroller found widespread use of generative AI in core subjects except math among teachers with six to 20 years of experience.
Nearly 60% say they delegate some tasks to technology, and of those, 89% report positive results. They say this saves them time by allowing them to create high-quality materials that align with state requirements and match their students’ learning styles.
One teacher wrote, “I believe that using AI to create assignments, visual aids, and other educational materials is extremely beneficial.” “I enjoy being able to create materials based on the needs of the class.”
And although they used AI to write letters to parents, few said the technology helped them track student progress, and 62% said they had never used AI for grading.
They were also generally skeptical about the use of AI by students.
Teachers say use of the technology is rare among elementary school students, but is becoming more popular as students get older, with nearly one-third of middle school students and just over half of high school students using it.
They said students are using AI for tutoring, feedback, brainstorming and learning, and the tool is popular with science and social studies students.
Teachers were concerned that students would be more likely to use AI to plagiarize their work and cheat. They also said they were concerned that the technology would reduce student interaction and collaboration, ultimately hurting students’ learning and ability to think critically.
Some teachers have redesigned their assignments to enable the use of AI.
However, many students reported that they were able to effectively curb technology with strategies such as writing during class, and some used applications and software to track whether students used technology.
Some rejected it completely, especially in elementary school, where writing and reading skills are foundational.
One teacher wrote that using AI is unethical. Another wrote: “Studies prove it reduces intellectual ability!”
The state study follows other studies, including a national report released by the Rand Corporation in September that found just over half of students and teachers in three major subjects were using AI. The study says there are few guardrails and a lack of policy guidance, calling the use of technology in education a “fast-moving, real-time, large-scale social experiment.”
But in Georgia, about two-thirds of teacher respondents said they received instruction and training, and most said it was effective. However, neighborhoods with high poverty rates were less likely to receive such support.
