From Duolingo to ChatGPT, AI has been festering itself in the educational field more and more everyday. AI promises a mix of both opportunities and dangers, but whether or not society will be able to properly regulate its use will determine the aptitude of generations to come.
“AI use longterm will be harmful to both student and teacher advancement,” said Kirt Jolly, an elementary school teacher for over 10 years. “The student will continue to lose important critical thinking skills due to its use.”
AI, specifically generative AI (GenAI), has become a prominent issue in schools. AI was first entered schools immediately after the public release of ChatGPT in 2022. By 2023, it was widespread among students to complete their homework, formal implementation and structured guidelines followed shortly after, with institutions officially incorporating GenAI into the curriculum.
“Over reliance on AI tools and platforms can put children and youth’s fundamental learning capacity at risk,” said a yearlong, global study conducted by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education. The article went on to say that, “with limited safeguards and a risk of inaccurate information, can lead to diminished learning experiences.”
Brookings’ study went on to report a major concern on AI: it doesn’t just harm students’ cognitive development, but actively places them at risk of mental decline. This decline occurs from one of the main risks with AI, as students’ repeated use comes with the threat of developing a strong dependence, creating a vicious cycle to their maturation. As students use AI to “offload” their cognitive tasks, and a “positive feedback loop emerges where they see positive results in terms of grades and in time and effort saved.”
This increased dependency and lack of mental stimulation eventually results in “cognitive atrophy,” which has longterm consequences such as diminished critical inquiry, increased vulnerability to manipulation, decreased creativity and greater risk of internalizing shallow or biased perspectives.
This idea is supported by the National Library of Medicine, which reported that “reducing critical thinking as adolescents rely on AI tools instead of their own thoughts and ideas, which may inhibit young people’s cognitive development.”
But AI does hold some benefits in the education system, according to Brookings’ study, proper use can provide teachers with extra time in their busy days by taking care of menial tasks, “enabling more high-value interactions with students.”
According to the National Public Radio (NPR), AI can utilized to assist students with their reading development, especially for students that are learning a second language. “AI can adjust the complexity of a passage depending on the reader’s skill, and it offers privacy for students who struggle in large-group settings.”
However, AI has proven to be a very dangerous tool, especially to our youth, so society must be cautious about its utilizations if its to properly take advantage of its aid. “If regulated properly, it can be a great teaching tool…” Jolly agrees. “The unfortunate issue is things like this are never regulated with the precautions needed for it to be an effective tool.”
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