Educators rushing to adopt programs like ChatGPT may not only be overestimating the capabilities of artificial intelligence but underestimating the essence of education, writes Alfie Kohn, author of What Does It Mean to Be Well-Educated? in an Education Week article.
The people most receptive to this AI are those who know the least about it, according to a recent survey. They may not be aware of AI’s huge energy requirements, allegations that it was built on stolen data, the fact corporations are less interested in assisting workers than in replacing them, and the troubling notion of normalizing relationships with counterfeit humans for therapy, friendship and even romance, according to Kohn.
Perhaps they don’t realize AI tools produce factual errors more than half the time, according to two studies — they require human fact-checking and don’t save much time, he says.
AI generates statistically probable responses to prompts; it cannot think or “know” things. Using them to write is problematic. Educator John Warner explained: “The fundamental unit of writing is not the sentence but the idea.” A chatbot can only deliver words that resemble an essay or a summary of someone else’s. Students who use this software won’t learn to write any more than they’d become physically fit by bringing a forklift to the gym to lift weights for them, as one author described, says Kohn.
Having AI read for you is fraught with peril because its summaries are often wildly inaccurate and the intrinsic value of reading is lost. Consider if people’s primary engagement with books and articles consists of having a computer boil them down. Doing it yourself can lead in unexpected directions and yield serendipitous insights, Kohn argues.
Training students to use a chatbot is very different from helping them reason through a problem, read deeply, or organize and express their own thoughts, he says.
The concept of Machines On Both Sides is happening in schools and elsewhere. Teachers are using AI to create lesson plans — which, according to one study of 310 such plans in social studies, tend to emphasize rote memorization. Students then use chatbots to help with the assignments. Kids don’t make the rules, so their use of AI is called “cheating.” Teachers complete the loop by using similar tech tools to grade the students’ work—and perhaps to catch those who relied on AI. Finally, students who derive no benefit from this exchange can seek extra help — from chatbot “tutors.”
Data demonstrating any educational advantages from AI are sparse and, according to some experts, based on poorly designed or misleadingly reported experiments. Some investigations suggest that AI’s effects may actually be harmful. High school math students tutored by ChatGPT initially scored better on tests, but the benefit soon evaporated and students ended up faring worse than those who hadn’t used AI, according to a 2024 study. They apparently failed to acquire conceptual understanding. A 2025 experiment revealed a “cognitive cost” to receiving AI help with writing essays, and a third study reported that more use of AI was “associated with lower critical thinking skills,” according to Kohn.
AI appeals to those who see education’s purpose as emitting behaviors (such as producing essays) rather than to play with ideas. ChatGPT reinforces this transactional model, he says.
Training students to use a chatbot is very different from helping them reason through a problem, read deeply, or organize and express their own thoughts. AI at its worst teaches students how to avoid doing these things. This contradicts a teacher’s primary objectives. Instead, teach students to analyze AI critically to identify our reliance on a text-extruding machine, to notice how its words are bland, and recognize false certitude — as it informs us that, say, Einstein invented the smoothie, Kohn argues.
Alarmed at turning chatbots loose in our schools? Then speak out and connect with other skeptics. End emails with “This message certified AI-free.” Have a sign with that sentence tacked up on classroom walls with the assurance “Teaching and learning here are accomplished proudly by human beings,” he concludes.
Education Week
