Artificial intelligence can be useful in education, but its value depends on how students use it. An analysis published in Psychology Today argues that AI should prompt more thinking or handle routine “busy work,” rather than replace the intellectual effort involved in understanding a subject.
Suggested uses include testing students on course material, creating flash cards, generating additional practice problems and providing feedback on completed essays or solved problems without rewriting them. Students can also explain a concept to an AI and receive feedback only after giving their own full explanation. AI may help with literature searches and adapt educational content to a student’s level, provided that information is checked against primary sources.
The concern is that students may lose learning opportunities when AI removes the need to struggle with a problem. Working through difficult concepts can help students master subject matter and build a foundation for future learning. Avoiding that process may also limit the development of skills needed to integrate and elaborate on complex information.
Several examples illustrate the risk. One student asked AI to turn history notes into the required three-sentence summary. According to the analysis, the key learning activity was deciding which information mattered most, rather than outsourcing that decision to a chatbot.
In another case, a student asked AI to provide a step-by-step solution to a difficult mathematics problem. Understanding the explanation did not necessarily demonstrate that the student could apply the underlying principles. Working through similar problems without assistance would have offered a stronger test of learning.
The analysis also describes students using AI to summarize books for English essays, compose emails to teachers and verify news encountered on social media. These shortcuts can bypass skills such as identifying important details, adding a personal element to communication and checking claims through reliable primary sources. The author also notes that generative AI can produce inaccurate information and reinforce what users already believe.
Teacher-directed assignments can create similar problems. One eighth-grade student was asked to use AI to produce a science poster, potentially bypassing the process of learning how to select a title, organize key information and make a presentation readable. In another example, a ninth-grade student was penalized because his independently produced definitions did not match AI-generated wording, while the teacher reportedly used AI to grade the work.
The central recommendation is that students who have difficulty with an assignment should request hints, either from an instructor or an AI, rather than complete answers. AI can support learning when it stimulates thought and practice; using it to avoid thinking can undermine the purpose of the assignment.
Sources: Psychology Today.