Generative AI in schools: 77% of teens say they are using AI for homework - why teachers are concerned

• A new survey of over a thousand teens has found three quarters have used AI to help with homework
• Many teachers worry students are becoming too reliant - or fear it could harm literacy or critical thinking skills
• The Department for Education believes AI tools could be helpful to teachers
• While generally positive about its potential, some teens have concerns about AI too

Teachers are concerned some of their pupils might be taking the easy way out, by turning to generative AI for homework help.

A new survey commissioned by Berkshire-based independent girls’ school Downe House saw 1,044 teenagers aged 15 to 18, attending both state and private schools across England, Scotland and Wales, polled about their own use and views of artificial intelligence earlier this year. More than three quarters (77%) of those who answered admitted to using AI tools to help complete their homework.

Teens were learning most of what they knew about AI from social media, the survey also showed, and were split on learning about its ethics. But why exactly are teachers concerned about this, and is using AI for learning really that much of an issue?

Here’s what we’ve learned from this latest piece of research:

Is using AI for schoolwork really a problem?

AI use seems to be fairly widespread amongst older teens. The study found that a resounding 94% had used AI tools, apps or chat bots. Of these, nearly half (49%) said that they only used AI tools occasionally, while 20% admitted to regular use.

Where these young people were learning about AI, what it could do, and its limitations also mattered. More than half (54%) of pupils surveyed said they felt knowledgeable around AI capabilities, although a further 54% said they relied solely on the internet and social media for insight. Only about one in five (19%) children said they got this information from their school - although 66% of pupils said they wanted to learn more about AI in class.

But when it came to ethics, students were more divided. Asked whether or not the ethics of using AI should be included in the school curriculum, almost half (46%) said they weren’t concerned about this, while 42% felt it was important.

In the survey, one pupil said they feared that not using AI for their schoolwork could be setting them back, if everyone else was. “Personally, I feel that when others in my class are using AI to complete tasks, but I am not (because I don’t really agree with it), then I am being disadvantaged.”

But AI in education is not without positives either. In a recent blog post on AI in schools, the Department for Education wrote that the evidence showed that high quality, personalised feedback could build pupil attainment, “and AI tools can help with this”.

“AI tools can speed up marking and help teachers understand each pupil's progress better, so they can tailor their teaching to what each child needs,” they wrote. “This won't replace the important relationship between pupils and teachers - it will strengthen it by giving teachers back valuable time to focus on the human side of teaching that makes all the difference to how well pupils learn.”

It could also help teachers reduce their workload by planning lessons, creating resources, and handling administrative tasks, “so they can focus on what they do best - teaching and supporting their pupils”. But the DfE warned that educators would still need to use their professional judgement, and check that anything AI generated was accurate and appropriate.

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Why are some teachers concerned?

Downe House said that students’ mixed opinions on learning about AI ethics signalled that there might be an over-reliance by some young people on using these tools at school.

The school’s digital learning director, Jane Basnett, added that teachers also had a role to play in making sure what their pupils learned about AI was accurate and balanced. “We have to step up as educators and invest more in training teachers adequately on ethical use of AI,” she said.

“There is no denying that AI is appealing to young people and despite some obvious concerns associated with the findings of this study, there is a certain level of intrigue and optimism around its potential too, with 60% believing AI improves their learning experience and a further 66% of pupils saying they want to learn more about AI in school,” she continued. “Yet there is clearly a gap in terms of what we are teaching children in school. If they are getting most of their insight from social media and websites, it is up to schools to help balance that.”

A 2024 survey of teachers by the National Literacy Trust found that they were split on being worried or unbothered about their pupils’ AI use - with secondary school teachers generally more concerned. But nearly half (48.9%) believed it would have a negative impact on children’s writing skills, while more than half (56.6%) were concerned generative AI could stop children thinking for themselves.

About 2 in 5 (42.3%) felt that it could decrease children’s engagement with learning. Almost all of them (82%) agreed that students should be taught how to engage critically with generative-AI tools.

Are teens worried about AI too?

Although the survey showed that AI and its potential uses were of interest to young people, Downe House said that many were also “very much aware” of the potential for over-use - and its possible consequences.

Overall, 41% of students were optimistic about the role of AI in shaping their future, while 18% were not. Almost half (47%) of the pupils surveyed said that they were worried about AI leading to job losses in their current field of interest in the future.

The school shared a selection of comments from participants too, outlining their own personal fears around AI. One student wrote: “I am deeply concerned by the environmental impact of AI chatbots, specifically in relation to water consumption. I also worry that my peers and I are becoming complacent and losing critical thinking skills due to an over-reliance on ChatGPT”.

Other concerns ranged from art and literature dying out “as billionaires get richer”, to the creation of deep fakes. “It is becoming increasingly common to look to AI for company, and so relationships of all nature (including romantic) will develop. I'm not sure how I feel about it right now,” another teen wrote.

“I'm worried about certain cases of using AI to generate deep fakes of a sexual nature on real people and them being shared around and believed to be real. It is already extremely common and not enough people are AI-literate enough to distinguish the difference between an AI generated photo and a real one.”

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