Viewers of the Channel 4 series 'Educating Yorkshire' have expressed concern for teachers after the latest episode highlighted the growing challenge of artificial intelligence in schools. The episode, aired on Sunday, showed staff grappling with how to detect and manage AI-generated student work.
During the programme, an English teacher raised alarm over a student's essay on Shakespeare, which she suspected was written by AI. The teacher noted the essay's advanced quality, including proper subheadings, paragraphs, and minimal spelling errors, far exceeding the student's usual standard. However, the student denied using AI, leaving the teacher frustrated as she could not prove it without direct evidence.
Headmaster Mr Burton acknowledged the difficulty, stating: 'AI is a new problem, schools are finding out what the right way to use AI is and utilise its capabilities and then also be aware of the potential pitfalls.' Another teacher described the situation as 'frightening,' to which Mr Burton replied, 'Terrifying!'
The episode also dealt with a separate incident where a student used AI to create a video of two classmates, which was then circulated on Snapchat. This further underscored the challenges schools face in monitoring AI misuse.
Viewers took to social media to share their sympathy for teachers. One wrote: 'Can’t imagine how hard it is for teachers now with AI being so readily available #EducatingYorkshire.' Another added: 'I just don't know how Teachers are going to stamp out kids using AI to do their homework.. #educatingyorkshire.'
