Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prevalent in every aspect of life, and education is no different.
From a nursery recommending AI as a tool to “transform” children’s art, to secondary schools and universities having to adapt policies in order to tackle this growing technology, AI is having an effect on the learning of the youth at every age.
Researchers at MIT found that participants who relied on AI exhibited up to 55 percent less brain connectivity and a poorer ability to recall information. This is due to a phenomenon called ‘cognitive offloading’, where the mental processing required to complete a task is reduced.
What are the practical consequences? Well, one academic study titled ‘The Generative AI Learning Penalty’ found that after six months, pupils using AI, although having higher homework scores, saw their exam scores decrease to 20 percent below those of their classmates who did not use AI.
These statistics are obviously shocking. However, it has also been proven that AI can actually have a positive effect on students’ cognition.
Students who use large language models (LLMs) as personal tutors by conversing and asking for explanations benefit from doing so. Conversely, learning is impaired for students who excessively rely on LLMs to complete tasks for them.
Of course, the average student will not necessarily know how to correctly use AI to support their learning. And despite the levelling appearance of this new technology, studies show a growing class diversion.
Private schools are three times more likely than state schools to have a clear school strategy on using AI. 45 percent of teachers in private schools have had formal AI training compared with only 21 percent in state schools.
Chronic underfunding and understaffing is clearly leading to the misuse of this technology.
Under socialism, these divides wouldn’t exist. AI would not be owned by the Peter Thiels, Sam Altmans, or Elon Musks of the world.
In a system where technology is used for the benefit of humanity and not for profit, education could look like providing all students with the same opportunities. Let’s take control of our education!
