Ludrick Cooper, an eighth-grade teacher in South Carolina, once doubted artificial intelligence in his classroom. Over time, he changed his mind.
“This is the new encyclopedia,” Cooper said, remembering his childhood passion for reading reference books.
Cooper is now among the many teachers weaving AI into their lessons. The rapid adoption highlights how quickly the technology spreads in schools, even as questions about risks remain.
A Walton Family Foundation and Gallup survey revealed that six in ten teachers used AI tools during the 2024-2025 school year.
On Tuesday, First Lady Melania Trump announced the Presidential AI Challenge, encouraging students from kindergarten through twelfth grade to use AI for community problem-solving.
OpenAI launched a “study mode” for ChatGPT and partnered with Instructure, whose learning platform supports millions of students. OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic also joined teachers’ unions to invest $23 million in AI training for 400,000 educators.
AI promises more dynamic lessons and faster access to knowledge. Yet experts caution against risks such as cheating, inequality and mental health challenges.
Sarah Howorth, associate professor at the University of Maine, compared AI to fire. She said people marvel at its uses but fear its dangers.
AI in the classroom
Instructure, the company behind Canvas, partnered with OpenAI on the “LLM-Enabled Assignment.” The tool allows teachers to design interactive, AI-driven lessons while tracking student performance.
LLM stands for “large language model,” the technology powering ChatGPT. Teachers can prompt the system to adopt roles that enrich lessons. A history teacher, for instance, could ask it to act as a president or political leader.
Melissa Loble, Instructure’s chief academic officer, said the partnership reflects a demand for new and engaging learning styles.
Kayla Jefferson, a social studies teacher in New York City, uses AI to foster engagement, strengthen global literacy and encourage peer learning.
One assignment has her students summarize and reflect on news articles using the AI-powered Padlet bulletin board. Students then comment on and interact with each other’s work.
AI tools also improve accessibility, Howorth explained. Talk-to-text and text-to-speech features help students with dyslexia or vision impairments.
But Matthew Rascoff, vice provost for digital education at Stanford, said AI should evolve to support social learning. He stressed that collaboration builds skills students need in their communities.
“Great classrooms create a sense of mutual responsibility for everybody’s learning,” Rascoff said.
AI brings certain risks
The use of AI in schools also raises serious concerns.
The New York City Department of Education initially banned ChatGPT on school devices due to fears of cheating. The ban was later lifted, with officials admitting schools were caught off guard.
Instructure said its LLM-Assignment resists shortcuts by guiding students through authentic learning experiences.
But cheating is only one issue. The effects of AI on children’s mental health remain unclear.
One mother accused startup Character.AI of influencing her 14-year-old son’s suicide. She and other families have filed lawsuits.
An Instructure spokesperson said Canvas keeps AI use in controlled environments, with safeguards ensuring lessons stay tied to coursework.
Still, limits exist. Talk-to-text features often struggle with stutters or strong accents, Howorth noted.
Robin Lake, director of Arizona State University’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, warned about inequality. Poorer districts may fall behind wealthier ones in adopting advanced AI.
A national survey by the center found large gaps in teacher training. High-poverty districts reported far fewer programs than wealthier counterparts.
“We must ensure disadvantaged schools share in AI’s benefits,” Lake said. “Privileged students currently get better tools, more opportunities and stronger teaching.”
Some rural and urban districts also said existing challenges make it difficult to prepare for new technology.
Not all teachers convinced
Despite AI’s rapid growth, not everyone believes it belongs in schools.
Lauren Monaco, a New York City pre-K and kindergarten teacher with over 20 years of experience, called AI a crutch. She argued that teaching requires analysis and human judgment that technology cannot replace.
“Teaching is not just transactional input and output,” Monaco said. “Our profession has been under attack. I keep asking: Who benefits from this?”
Lake at Arizona State University added another concern. She said educators must prepare students for the workforce shaped by AI.
“What will students need to succeed in an AI-driven economy?” she asked. “Schools must start preparing them now.”
