Additionally, many experts are sounding the alarm over the impacts AI tools can have on students’ cognitive development. As these tools become more common in education, the worries are increasingly becoming cause for alarm. According to a recent OUP survey, it’s worse than you think. Sixty percent of schoolchildren believe AI has had a damaging effect on their educational development. Millions of new users with platforms like ChatGPT now boasting more than 800 million weekly users, millions more people are diving into AI. These results are indicative of that national trend.
As Professor Wayne Holmes, an expert on AI’s impact in education, explains, this is the important part. So it’s incredibly important to understand how these tools work, and how the private companies that develop them handle data. He contends that though generative AI can improve the quality of the output, it can have the opposite effect on the learning experience.
OUP’s survey highlights a dual narrative regarding AI’s role in education. Although nine out of ten students reported that AI helped them develop various skills related to schoolwork, a significant portion—approximately 25%—felt that reliance on these technologies made completing assignments too easy, thus undermining their learning processes.
“Their outputs are better but actually their learning is worse.” – Prof Wayne Holmes
Holmes points to concerning research on cognitive atrophy, where dependency on AI tools may result in diminished skills over time. A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently made some fascinating headlines. It indicated that people who used ChatGPT to produce essays had diminished engagement in brain circuits related to active cognition. In this experiment, electroencephalography was used to track brain activity across 54 consenting participants from MIT and neighboring institutions.
Dr. Alexandra Tomescu, a generative AI specialist at OUP, who helped develop the school survey. She appreciates the often sad results of leaning into AI’s application.
“Our research tells us that nine in 10 students say AI has helped them develop at least one skill related to schoolwork – be it problem-solving, creativity or revision,” she stated.
The impact of these findings go far beyond the students themselves. While it’s true that AI is likely to play a bigger role in education, there is grave concern about becoming permanently reliant on such tools. Most educators will tell you that being a critical consumer of academic work is important. These teachers are working to discourage students from using AI as a crutch.
“But at the same time, about a quarter state that AI use made it too easy to do work for them… So it’s quite a nuanced picture.” – Dr. Alexandra Tomescu
OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, hasn’t missed the educational potential of its platform. They just released a short set of 100 short prompts to share with students so they can use AI to enhance their learning, not undermine it. Jayna Devani currently heads international education outreach at OpenAI. She is dedicated to ensuring that AI improves upon proven learning approaches rather than replacing them.
“While GenAI can improve worker efficiency, it can inhibit critical engagement with work and can potentially lead to long-term overreliance on the tool and diminished skill for independent problem-solving,” remarked an unnamed expert.
While these efforts are laudable, major concerns remain about how generative AI is more often used—or misused—in education. Holmes emphasizes that independent evidence showing the positive impact of these tools at scale does not exist right now.
“I never say to my students, you shouldn’t use AI… But what I do try to say is look, we need to understand all these different things about it so that you can make informed decisions.” – Prof Wayne Holmes
Schools are already searching for ways to incorporate AI technologies into their class work. Both educators and researchers are calling for a thoughtful approach as this integration continues. Ensuring that students understand both the capabilities and limitations of AI will be crucial in fostering an environment where technology enhances rather than diminishes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Despite these efforts, concerns persist regarding the overall effectiveness of generative AI in educational settings. Holmes points out that there is currently no independent evidence proving the positive impact of these tools at scale.
“Today there is no independent evidence at scale for the effectiveness of these tools in education, or for their safety, or even for the idea they have a positive impact.” – Prof Wayne Holmes
As schools continue to navigate the integration of AI technologies into curricula, educators and researchers alike are calling for a balanced approach. Ensuring that students understand both the capabilities and limitations of AI will be crucial in fostering an environment where technology enhances rather than diminishes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
