Artificial intelligence is becoming a major part of daily life, and students make up most of it’s users. Many rely on AI tools to help with schoolwork, jobs, or even simple questions. The appeal is obvious: tasks that may take a human an hour to complete, AI can do in seconds.
But as AI becomes more common, teachers and education leaders are concerned about how much students depend on it.
Across the country, teachers say students are losing interest in learning and are skipping the process of thinking through assignments on their own. Some worry that students are missing out on important skills they need for the future.
AI has already made its way into public high schools in Florida and into major universities such as Duke, the University of Maryland, and the California State University system.
In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing decisions about whether to expand AI-supported learning in schools. Some educators fear that increased AI use could eventually replace parts of teaching.
Many teachers are being taught how to use AI beneficially in all around the country, public and private schools. This is the much smarter approach considering that AI is only getting incorporated more in day to day life and simply if you do not know how to use it correctly, students and education systems will start to fall behind. This is an important skill to develop because AI has also been introduced into several fields of work, and if you want to compete, you will simply need to know how to use AI to its best ability.
Teachers say they are watching student attention spans and problem-solving skills decline both in and out of the classroom. Still, many agree that AI is not going away. Instead, they believe schools will eventually need to teach students how to use AI responsibly while also finding ways to keep real learning at the center of education.
As of now AI has been reintroduced to the DOE school systems after its removal earlier this year. Students have been granted access back to AI engines, but students and teachers are given guidelines on how they can use AI. Taken from the DOE’s, Guidance on Artificial Intelligence, ”This Guidance establishes a framework for emerging technologies in NYCPS schools, starting with AI. It applies to all AI and AI-powered tools used for educational purposes, such as instruction, assessment, support for diverse learners, and student services, across all grade bands and school types.”
This is a quick representation of how the DOE doesn’t want AI to take full control but would want its presence for assistance.
AI may not be here to stay. The ruling on AI isn’t official until May 8th, 2026. The DOE is asking for feedback and comments: until then they are going to take the official decision depending on the public and voting. If the majority of the people do not want AI to be in the NYCPS system, then it will be removed and vice versa.
A recent statistic from EdWeek highlights the separation between students and teachers. According to the report, “Only 42% of students see potential for cheating, compared to the near‑universal concern from faculty. Only 45% of students worry about erosion of skill.”
This can be an extremely important example of how AI is best with guidance. Students won’t know how to effectively use AI without that guidance, and the DOE should be the ones to assist students so they can use AI to its best ability.
Mr. Driver, a 9th and 11th grade English teacher, said he sees a major shift in how students approach learning.
“I think they are losing the ability to try and fail and then find the solution on their own,” he said. He added that many students lose focus quickly. “And if something takes more than 10 minutes, this is just too much.”
Mr. Weiss, a 10th-grade Spanish teacher, said AI is affecting students’ basic thinking skills. “It’s essentially destroying our students’ abilities to develop critical thinking skills, which is one of the most important things to have in life,” he said.
The main reason that AI is potentially being introduced is because some people may feel that students in NYCPS may fall behind others who are in different education systems. When AI is properly incorporated into education, it can significantly elevate student learning and that is the goal that is trying to be achieved.
At no point should AI replace our teachers because at that point it would be out of control. We need the future of our society to be able to still have basic skills that are taught in school. If that characteristic were inconsistent then there would be a huge separation of capabilities. If you know how to work along with AI, you can benefit yourself and effectively complete tasks. AI is not leaving, and that’s the reality, so it’s best to use it in its most beneficial abilities, and that should be taught by our teachers.
