About two-thirds of students in grades 6-12 believe using artificial intelligence in the classroom will significantly improve their schooling and bring fresh ideas to their learning, according to a survey by Project Tomorrow, an education research nonprofit, and reported on by K-12 Dive.
But all is not positive when it comes to students using AI. Students’ top five fears regarding the technology: 1) the potential for AI to disseminate misinformation (69%); 2) the use of AI to harm others (65%); 3) being falsely accused of cheating from using AI (63%); 4) how their data is stored or used by AI systems (57%); and 5) the potential inaccuracies AI provides (56%).
Students still see the benefits of using AI in schools. 40% of students said they are using AI tools to self-direct their learning outside of school. The three keys to how AI can help student learning according to the survey: 1) an increase in access to resources and new ideas that aren’t typically available in the classroom; 2) resources for developing college and career readiness skills; and 3) the ability to make learning processes more efficient.
AI can support learning in numerous ways, according to students surveyed in the report:
- Brainstorming ideas for assignments (56%).
- Analyzing notes from class (52%).
- Receiving feedback on writing assignments (52%).
- Accessing tutoring services outside of school (45%).
- Summarizing a text they’re reading (40%).
- Researching subject matter for classwork (38%).
- Managing due dates for assignments (36%).
- Translating written or spoken material (33%).
Project Tomorrow’s research follows findings from the Center for Democracy & Technology. CDT’s survey of students and teachers reported that a large majority of both groups are using AI, but the risks have also increased. The more schools use AI, the more likely they are to deal with data breaches and ransomware attacks, sexual harassment and bullying as well as concerning interactions between students and AI tools, according to the CDT survey.
K-12 Dive
