The use of artificial intelligence by teachers and students in K-12 classrooms is rapidly increasing, raising serious concerns about its potential negative impact on students, a new report concludes.
In the 2024-25 school year, 85% of teachers and 86% of students used AI, according to a report released today by the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology: AI in Schools Leads to Increased Risk.
One of the negative effects that AI is having on students is that it undermines their ability to form meaningful relationships with their teachers, the report said. Half of students agree that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teachers. According to the report, the reduction in peer-to-peer connectivity due to the use of AI is also a concern for teachers (47%) and parents (50%).
Other major concerns also emerged in the results. The report found that 70% of teachers are concerned that AI will weaken critical thinking and research skills. The study is based on a nationally representative survey of public school teachers in grades 6-12, parents of students in grades 6-12, and students in grades 9-12 and was conducted from June to August.
“While many are touting the potential of AI to transform education, we cannot let the negative impacts on students get lost in the chaos,” Elizabeth Laird, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Civic Technology Equity Project, said in a press release.
“Our research shows that the use of AI in schools comes with real risks, including large-scale data breaches, technology-enabled sexual harassment and bullying, and mistreatment of students,” Laird said. “By being aware of these risks, education leaders, policy makers, and communities can begin implementing prevention and response efforts to ensure that the positive use of AI is not overshadowed by harm to students.”
Experts say two ways to address potential negative effects are for schools to develop AI training and to create policies that put meaningful guardrails on the use of AI.
“What schools need to do is help teachers and students take advantage of it.” [AI tools] “We believe that over time we can increase value and reduce risk,” said Joseph South, chief innovation officer at ISTE + ASCD, a nonprofit that provides resources for educators on educational technology and curriculum.
Risk factors for students and teachers using AI
According to the survey, some of the ways teachers are using AI include curriculum and content development (69%), student engagement (50%), professional development (48%), and grading tools (45%).
Experts say a major reason for the increased use of technology among teachers may be the automatic addition of AI as a feature to educational tools. Twenty-four percent of teachers reported this, according to a report by the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit that develops technology policy with a focus on equity, civil rights, and freedom.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that 85 percent of teachers have used it in some way,” South said. “AI really has two effects: one, it helps teachers do their jobs more efficiently; two, it takes anything that helps teachers save time; two, it helps teachers do their jobs more efficiently.”
According to the report, 69% of teachers said AI tools have improved their teaching methods and skills, 59% said AI has enabled more personalized learning, and 55% said AI has given them more time to interact directly with students.
However, the report found that 71% of teachers said students’ use of AI created an additional burden on understanding whether a student’s work was their own.
Robbie Torney, senior director of the AI program at Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies the effects of media and technology on children, said students’ use of AI is different from that of teachers.
AI technology is primarily aimed at completing tasks quickly, and in educational settings it can be beneficial for teachers who want to get administrative tasks done faster and make the most of their time. But for students, there’s no guarantee they’ll learn faster using AI, Tawney said.
“These large-scale language models are not necessarily optimized for time-consuming learning tasks. [and] It takes effort,” Tawney said. [we] The use of AI with children in officially sanctioned schools appears to be slowing to take off. ”
Ways students are using AI include tutoring (64%) and college and career advice (49%).
But the problem, the report says, is that this type of academically focused use can quickly turn into seeking advice about relationships (43%) or mental health support (42%). And this kind of human-machine conversation with AI is often done using tools and software provided by schools.
“Many risks are [the report] “Flags are being raised… They are well known and have existed before AI. But the introduction of AI into the system amplifies or exacerbates some of those risk categories,” Toney said.
Teachers need more training, students need AI literacy
The best way for schools and districts to address the risks and concerns associated with the increased use of AI tools is to provide professional development for teachers and AI literacy lessons for students, experts say.
By that standard, schools and districts are falling behind. The report found that although most teachers and students are already using AI, fewer than half receive training or information about the technology from their school or district.
Less than half (48%) of teachers have participated in AI training or professional development provided by their school or district. The report also found that fewer than half of students (48%) said someone at their school had provided them with information on how to use AI for academic or personal use.
To make matters worse, research shows that the training and information provided about AI doesn’t always cover all the basics.
For example, the report found that less than a third of teachers said their training included instruction on how to use AI tools effectively (29%), what AI is and how it works (25%), and how to monitor and check AI systems (17%).
Additionally, many students will need to interact with the AI themselves. The report found that very few students received guidance on school policies regarding the use of AI (22%), the risks of using AI (17%), and what AI is and how it works (12%).
Mr. South said it is very important for students and teachers to have a basic foundation so they can move on to more meaningful and sophisticated uses of technology.
To do that, experts say schools need funding and resources to give teachers and students the training and information they need to master AI tools.
Trump administration is promoting the use of AI in education one of education’s top priorities, and recently even major technology companies. has begun partnering with educational institutions to provide free training and resources for teachers. Some AI criticsBut there are concerns that schools are buying into the AI hype too quickly and without sufficient skepticism.
Still, South said schools have a responsibility to teach students about this technology, which will be important to their future careers.
“We all as a society have the potential to level up our work with the help of AI,” South said. “We can also help students improve their work, but teachers need training to help students do their work correctly.”
