Article on "AI" for Teachers: Students Are Having Huge Losses in Schools by Increasing the Use of AI

On August 27, 2025, the English teacher CC in Valencia High School, located in Santa Clarita, was teaching his class while guidelines were being displayed for the use of artificial intelligence on the screen.

According to the conclusion of a new report, the use of artificial intelligence is increasing rapidly by teachers and students in K–12 classes, which is causing serious concerns about potential negative impacts on students.

According to the report issued by the non-profit institution Center for Democracy and Technology today, due to the increased risks of adopting AI, 85 percent of teachers and 86 percent of students will use AI in the 2024–25 school year.

It has been found in the report that one of the negative effects of AI on students is that it affects their ability to build meaningful relationships with teachers. Half of the students agree that by using AI in class, they feel less connected to their teachers. According to the report, as a result of the use of AI, there is concern about the lack of peer-to-peer relations (47%) and parental connection (50%).

Other big concerns also came out in the results. According to the report, seventy percent of teachers worry that AI weakens critical thinking and research skills. This report is based on nationally representative surveys conducted between June and August, which were done on teachers of classes 6–12, parents of students in classes 6–12, and students of classes 9–12.

Elizabeth Lord, Director of Equity in the Civil Technology Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a press release, “Many people are explaining the possibilities of AI to change education, but we cannot ignore the negative effects it has on students.”

Lord said, “Our research indicates that AI is connected to real risks, such as large-scale data theft, induced sexual harassment and bullying, and inappropriate behavior with students.” She further said, “By acknowledging these risks, leaders, policymakers, and communities can help to prevent and respond effectively so that the positive use of AI is not overshadowed by the harm it causes to students.”

Experts said that there are two ways to deal with potential negative effects — developing AI training in schools and making such policies that ensure meaningful safety arrangements for its use.

“Schools should help teachers and students use AI correctly and effectively,” said Joseph South, Chief Innovation Officer at ISTE + ASCD, a non-profit organization that provides training and courses on educational technology. “If we do this, I believe that over time, we will be able to increase its value and reduce the risk.”

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Risk Factors for Students and Teachers Using AI

The survey found that the ways teachers are using AI include course and content development (69%), student engagement (50%), professional development (48%), and grading tools (45%).

Experts say that a leading cause of increasing use of this technology among teachers may be that educational tools are automatically adding AI as a feature. According to the report by the Center for Democracy and Technology, twenty-four percent of teachers said that this is the case. It is a non-profit institution that focuses on technology policy, equality, civil rights, and independence.

South said, “I was not surprised to know that 85% of teachers have used it in some form. AI actually works in two ways: first, it helps teachers to do their work more efficiently, and whatever helps teachers save time will be adopted. Second, it can help them do their work more effectively.”

It was found that 69% of teachers said that AI tools have improved their teaching methods/skills, 59% said that AI has enabled more personalized teaching, and 55% said that AI gave them more time to talk directly with students.

On the other hand, the report found that 71% of teachers said that the additional burden of understanding whether the students’ work is their own has increased due to AI use.

Robbie Torney, Senior Director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media, said that students differ from teachers in how they use AI. Common Sense Media is a non-profit institution that studies the effect of media and technology on children.

AI technologies were originally created to accomplish tasks that benefit teachers in education, allowing them to maximize their time by completing administrative tasks. But for students, there is no guarantee that they will be able to use AI to learn quickly, Torney said.

Torney said, “These large language models are not necessarily customized for learning, because the learning process is slow and requires effort.” He further said, “Generally, we have seen a slow pace in officially approved AI adoption in schools with children.”

The use of AI by students includes tutoring (64%) and college or career advice (49%).

But the report says that the problem is that such academic-centric uses quickly turn toward relationships (43%) or mental health assistance (42%). And such human-machine interaction with AI often occurs through equipment or software provided by schools.

Torney said, “[The report] has pointed out ... they were already heading in that direction even before AI.” He further said, “But some of these risk categories have become more serious with the arrival of AI in the system.”

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Teachers Need More Training, and Students Need AI Literacy

Experts say that the best way to solve the risks and concerns arising from the increasing use of AI tools in schools and districts is to provide AI literacy lessons for professional development for teachers and for students.

According to this standard, schools and districts are lagging behind. According to the report, although most teachers and students are already using AI, less than half of them have received training or information about this technology from their schools or districts.

It was found that less than half of the teachers (48%) have participated in any training or professional development on AI given by their schools or districts; and less than half of the students (48%) said that in their school, someone has provided information about the use of AI for schoolwork or personal use.

According to the survey, it is worse than that — the subject matter of training or information on AI does not always cover all the basics.

For example, less than one-third of the teachers said that their training included methods of using AI tools effectively (29%), understanding AI and how it works (25%), and monitoring and checking AI systems (17%).

Many students have to use AI by themselves. According to the report, very few students have received guidance about the school’s AI policy (22%), the risks of AI (17%), and what AI is and how it works (12%).

South said that this basic information is very important for students and teachers so that they can make more meaningful and sophisticated use of technology.

Experts said that schools need funding and resources to provide teachers and students with the necessary training and information to become successful users of AI tools.

The Trump Administration has made promoting the use of AI in education one of its highest educational priorities, and recently, major technology companies have started providing free teacher training and resources in collaboration with education organizations. However, some AI critics have expressed concern that schools are adopting AI too quickly and without enough consideration.

South said that even then, it is the responsibility of schools to teach students about this technology that will be important for their future careers.

South said, “As a society, we all have the ability to improve our work with the help of AI. We can also help students improve their work, but teachers need training to guide them correctly.”

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