AI in Schools: Pros and Cons - University of Illinois

Generative AI is here to stay, and its impact on the field of education will only grow as artificial intelligence continues to develop. While the specter of students using AI to cheat has raised concerns among educators around the world, the potential positive and productive uses of AI counterbalance those fears.

Indeed, AI can be used to inspire and foster creativity, lend multiple perspectives, summarize existing materials, generate and reinforce lesson plans, and stimulate image creation. To date, however, student use far exceeds that of instructors: According to a national survey conducted by Tyton Partners in 2023, 27% of students reported being regular users of generative AI tools, as opposed to just 9% of instructors. Nearly half of students have tried AI writing tools at least once; 71% of instructors have never tried AI tools.

It’s in educators’ best interests to understand the uses and advantages of AI and to be aware of the challenges of the technology. Armed with this information, educators can make sound decisions about how to implement AI in their classrooms.

In the next two sections, we’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence in education.

The Advantages of AI in Education

We have already mentioned some of the advantages of AI in education—inspiring creativity, summarizing existing materials, and so on. This section will delve deeper into the pros and cons of AI in schools, focusing on how these tools can reshape the learning environment. Here’s a brief look at eight more advantages.

It can be used to personalize learning. AI can help you tailor your content to individual student needs and learning styles, based on AI-driven analytics that give you insight into student performance and learning trends. In this way, AI helps students be more engaged and motivated.

It can provide students with immediate feedback. AI offers students instantaneous and detailed feedback on their work, helping them to see their strengths and weaknesses. Such feedback enhances understanding and learning outcomes—and helps teachers to know what to focus on in future lessons.

It can be used to create and supplement content. Through AI-powered platforms, you can create lessons, activities, assessments, discussion prompts, and presentations simply by providing a short prompt with keywords.

It can result in more inclusive lessons. AI has powerful tools that make previously inaccessible material available to students with special needs. Tools that offer text-to-speech, visual recognition, speech recognition, and more can help teachers adapt resources so that all students have an equal learning opportunity.

It can provide greater access to resources. Educators can access a wealth of AI-powered platforms to facilitate and enhance the learning that takes place in their classrooms. Just a few examples are Canva Magic Write, which helps in brainstorming, outlining, and lesson planning; Curipod, which enables teachers to quickly create interactive lessons; Eduaide, which provides teachers with more than 100 resource types to choose from to create high-quality instructional materials; and Quizzizz, which can be used to design quizzes that will create a personalized learning path based on each student’s responses.

It can make abstract concepts more understandable. Image-generating AI tools such as Picsart and Visme can turn complex concepts into more readily accessible content.

It can be used to handle administrative tasks. You can use AI to streamline administrative tasks such as grading, scheduling, communicating with parents, and managing student records. This frees you up to do what you do best: teach. It affords you more hands-on time with students and helps to ensure that no students fall through the cracks.

It can foster critical thinkers. The advent and growing use of AI in classrooms lends itself to discussions regarding critical thinking and ethical considerations. Students are naturally intrigued by AI. The rich discussions that you can facilitate can help them grow and develop as thinkers and learners.

The Challenges and Limitations of AI in Education

With all the advantages that AI can offer to teachers, students, and administrators, it does come with its challenges and drawbacks. Following are some of the most common issues that concern educators.

Privacy and Security Concerns

Privacy risks have been a concern for as long as AI has been around. People are wary about what personal data is collected and how it is used—and whether they have any knowledge of or control over how it is used. Many voice concerns about how carefully their data is stored and how protected it is from being leaked. Other worries include having private and sensitive information viewed by others, having false or misleading information disseminated, and the increasing ease others have in accessing others’ personal data.

Broadly speaking, risks are involved in data collection, data processing, data dissemination, and invasion (encroaching into an individual’s personal space, choices, or activities).

Potential Bias in AI Algorithms

Studies have shown significant bias in GPT (generative pre-trained transformers; e.g., ChatGPT) against non-native English speakers. For example, one study shows over half of non-native English writing samples were misclassified as AI generated (while the accuracy for native English speakers was nearly perfect).

Part of the problem is that GPT detectors are programmed to recognize language that is more literary and complex as more “human.” Thus, writers not using such language are more likely to be categorized as using AI-generated content and could be unjustly flagged for AI plagiarism. Non-English-speaking students may be falsely accused of cheating, which can undermine their academic career and damage their psyches.

When assessing the use of non-native English speakers, it might be best not to use GPT detectors as assessment tools until the detectors have gone through a more comprehensive evaluation. They can be more safely employed as educational aids, helping students become better writers.

Reduced Human Interaction

Relying more and more on AI may reduce the teacher-to-student interactions and relationships and take away from the social-emotional aspects of learning. If those interactions diminish, students’ social skills and interpersonal development will suffer. Teachers need to be aware of this and take care to identify and respond to the social and emotional needs of their students.

However, on the flip side, automating administrative tasks such as lesson planning, grading, and maintaining student records should free up teachers’ time to spend more time building relationships with students and fostering their social and emotional growth. Doing so has proven to result in many benefits, including better grades and higher college enrollment rates.

That said, a recent survey showed that only 22 percent of students—an all-time low—believe that their teachers try to understand their lives outside of school. Schools can use AI to facilitate the relationships between teachers and students—but they must make an intentional effort to do so. It’s a touchpoint to be aware of and stay on top of.

High Implementation Costs

The cost of AI in education can vary greatly, depending on how schools want to use it. Simple generative AI systems that teachers can use in lesson planning can cost as little as $25 a month, but larger adaptive learning systems can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. Implementing these larger systems is likewise very expensive and is beyond the budgets of many schools, including those in underserved communities. And then there’s the ongoing costs of maintaining and updating the systems and training staff to effectively use them.

Academic Misconduct

Cheating and plagiarism are, as mentioned, chief among the AI concerns raised by educators. If AI is used to complete assignments or exams or write papers, it is unfair to the students who don’t cheat, and it undermines the education and learning process for those who do cheat. If students learn to cheat and take shortcuts in classrooms, what kind of citizens will they make when they are finished with their education? Measures need to be in place to ensure that AI is not being used unethically.

Unpredictability and Inaccurate Information

AI is only as good as the algorithms it is based on. If the data it draws from is inaccurate or biased, then the information it creates will be inaccurate or biased. Students need to learn how to evaluate and think critically about the information they come across and not just accept it at face value. There are many educational resources accessible online to help them do this.

Artificial Intelligence in Education Pros and Cons

Generative AI gives teachers, students, and administrators access to powerful tools that can be put to great use in education. However, understanding the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in education is key to utilizing these tools effectively. Exploring the effects of AI on education, both positive and negative, helps administrators create policies that enhance student learning while minimizing potential drawbacks.

It can streamline administrative tasks, free more time for teachers to build relationships and the social and emotional skills of students, tailor students’ learning experiences according to their individual needs and learning styles, and improve accessibility for students with disabilities. It can also help researchers collect and analyze data to enhance curriculum effectiveness and spot areas that need improvement, and it offers a wide range of educational resources and platforms for both students and educators.

But it has its downfalls too. Concerns with AI in education include privacy and security issues, bias in algorithms that can affect educational outcomes, the potential to rely too heavily on the technology at the expense of teacher-student interactions, and the costs associated with implementing and maintaining AI technologies in schools. Additionally, it can be used unethically if strong safeguards and monitoring systems aren’t in place, and its information is only as complete and accurately representative as its algorithms.

Educators and administrators need to weigh the pros and cons of AI in education as they contemplate how they and their students will use the technology. By considering the pros and cons of AI in the classroom, educators can ensure that AI's integration supports meaningful learning experiences.

DMU Timestamp: February 05, 2025 02:50

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