As the world grapples with the existential and moral implications of artificial intelligence, educators in the United States remain divided over its place in classrooms. The central question is whether teachers should encourage children to use AI language models like ChatGPT. While some argue for a complete ban, others believe the priority is no longer policing usage but ensuring students are taught how to use AI properly and safely.
The Reality of AI in Schools
Research published last October by the College Board revealed that AI use is more prevalent than ever in American high schools, driven by tools such as ChatGPT. The study found that 84 percent of students now use generative AI tools to help with their schoolwork. Furthermore, half of high school students leverage AI for brainstorming ideas, editing or revising essays, and conducting research to find sources.
Shelby Reynolds, assistant director of instructional technology and library services in Washington’s Northshore School District, told The Independent: “I think we owe it to our students and kids of this generation. If we're going to do our due diligence, we should be using the safety of the walled gardens of our classrooms to educate them in ways that will support them when they walk out into the world.” She added: “It's here. It's not going away, and it's literally in their pockets every day.”
Growing Adoption of AI Literacy Programs
Mandatory AI literacy training is not yet widespread nationwide, but a growing number of high schools and school districts are beginning to enforce it. Boston Public Schools announced earlier this year that it plans to ensure all high school students graduate with AI literacy training. Atlanta Public Schools now automatically enrolls all seniors in a foundational AI Essentials course, and Irvine Unified School District has introduced AI literacy lessons for students in grades 4 through 12.
Opposition to AI in Classrooms
Not everyone is happy about the emerging trend of AI integration at an early age. In March, more than 1,500 parents and educators in New York signed a petition calling for a ban on AI in classrooms, in response to guidance from the state Department of Education. The AI Moratorium Coalition, which launched the petition, highlighted the guidance’s admission that “the long-term effects on how children learn, think, and develop in the era of AI are not fully understood,” and that “no school system in the world has accounted for all the implications.”
Liat Olenick, a teacher and program director for Climate Families NYC, which is part of the AIM coalition, told The Independent: “Our main concerns are around the impacts on students' developing brains and cognitive development. All the research suggests that AI use can harm the development of the brain and children's ability to learn and retain what they're learning, which is what we all think the point of school is – learning.”
Research Raises Concerns
A 2024 study involving 1,000 students in Pennsylvania found that those who had access to ChatGPT solved 48 percent more practice math problems correctly. However, the same group ultimately scored 17 percent less in a test than those who had not been helped by the AI, with researchers describing the chatbot as a “crutch.”
Kelly Clancy, of Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces, also part of the AIM coalition, said: “There's a misunderstanding where people say, in order to be college ready, you need to learn how to use AI. But kids are coming [to college] and they have no skills because they've just been allowed to use these programs to get their way through high school. Using AI is the easiest thing in the world to do. What they need to learn is all of that hard stuff first.”
The Case for AI Literacy
Jared Greene, Academic Director at Inspirit AI, a company that provides training AI literacy programs for students from kindergarten through university level, argues that proper training and application for youngsters to supplement their learning is still scarce. “I think this stuff is so urgent,” Greene told The Independent. “In an ideal world I would want to see this kind of thing made curricular yesterday. I remember growing up it was required that we had to learn how to type. That's a foundational skill because at some point you're gonna end up in front of a computer. I think this is as fundamental as that.”
Inspirit currently partners with over 250 schools across the U.S. and worldwide, including Northshore School District. Last summer, Reynolds organized a two-week “AI camp” that provided AI literacy as well as focusing on real-world application and problem solving.
Balancing Regulation and Education
Olenick argues that just because a technology exists in society and is used by adults does not mean it belongs in schools. “We regulate all sorts of things when it comes to protecting our children and what they have access to in school, and we don't think that this should be any different,” she said. “We feel that it's far more important to teach critical thinking, media literacy, the ability to understand sources and primary sources, secondary sources. That is what's going to prepare students to interface with this kind of technology.”
Last year, New York state governor Kathy Hochul imposed a ban on cell phones in schools, a move that was well received by parents and teachers alike. Olenick sees a parallel: “Many people feel like [the cell phone ban] came 10 years too late. We don't want to be in that position with AI, five to 10 years from now, where we've done a tremendous harm to a generation of students, and we had the opportunity to pause before the harm was done.”
