AI is increasingly becoming a part of schools, transforming the way students learn and teachers teach. Ludrick Cooper, an eighth-grade teacher in South Carolina, once resisted using AI in class. Today, he embraces it.
“This is the new encyclopedia,” Cooper said, recalling his childhood love of reference books. His change reflects a broader trend: many educators now integrate AI into lessons, even as benefits and risks remain under debate.
A recent study by the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup found that six in ten teachers used AI tools during the 2024–2025 school year. The growing presence of AI in classrooms coincides with initiatives like the Presidential AI Challenge, unveiled by First Lady Melania Trump, which encourages students from kindergarten through twelfth grade to use AI for solving local challenges.
Major tech companies are also investing heavily in education. OpenAI launched a “study mode” for ChatGPT and partnered with Instructure, which supports millions of students. OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic teamed with teachers’ unions to invest $23 million in AI training for 400,000 educators nationwide.
AI tools offer engaging lessons and faster access to knowledge. Instructure, the company behind the learning platform Canvas, introduced the “LLM-Enabled Assignment,” allowing teachers to design interactive AI lessons while tracking student progress. LLM, or large language models, power chatbots like ChatGPT, enabling lessons where the AI can take on historical personas or guide discussion topics.
Teachers like Kayla Jefferson, a New York City high school social studies teacher, use AI to maintain engagement and build global literacy. Her students interact with news articles on AI-powered Padlet boards, summarizing content and responding to peers. AI also improves accessibility. Features like talk-to-text and text-to-speech help students with dyslexia or vision impairments, said Sarah Howorth, associate professor of special education at the University of Maine.
Experts stress that AI must support social learning. Matthew Rascoff, vice provost for digital education at Stanford University, emphasized that collaboration skills are essential. “Great classrooms create a sense of mutual responsibility for everybody’s learning,” he explained.
However, AI adoption comes with risks. Cheating remains a concern. The New York City Department of Education initially banned ChatGPT on school devices, later reversing the ban after realizing its widespread use. Tools like Instructure’s LLM-Assignment are designed to guide students, not just provide answers.
Mental health is another area of concern. Lawsuits have been filed against AI companies like Character.AI, following incidents linked to student well-being. Additionally, AI tools are imperfect. Talk-to-text systems struggle with stutters, heavy accents, or non-standard speech, Howorth noted.
Inequality is also a challenge. Wealthier districts can adopt advanced AI tools, while poorer schools risk falling behind. A survey by Arizona State University’s Center on Reinventing Public Education found high-poverty districts had fewer trained teachers using AI. Robin Lake, director of the center, warned, “We must ensure disadvantaged schools access AI’s benefits. Right now, better-off kids get more tools, more opportunities and stronger teaching.”
Not all teachers are convinced. Lauren Monaco, a veteran New York City teacher, called AI a crutch, arguing that human judgment and critical thinking cannot be replaced by technology. “Teaching is not just transactional input and output,” she said.
Despite concerns, schools are considering the future role of AI in education and the workplace. Lake asked, “What will students need to succeed in an AI-driven economy? Educators must prepare for that reality.”
The rise of AI in the classroom shows both promise and challenge. It offers personalized learning, increased engagement, and accessibility, but also brings ethical, mental health, and equity issues. As AI tools continue to evolve, teachers, schools, and policymakers must carefully balance innovation with responsibility.
For students, AI presents new ways to learn and connect. For educators, it offers tools to enhance instruction while preserving human insight. The coming years will determine how well schools can harness AI while protecting learning, equity, and student well-being.
