AI (artificial intelligence) is a computer tool that helps people at the workplace and school to get information or tasks done. AI, on the one hand, can be beneficial to people who use it responsibly, but on the other hand, it can also negatively impact students’ academics.
AI does not allow students to think critically. While AI aids education, it has the potential to reduce cognitive engagement because students may passively accept the information provided by AI without critical scrutiny (Ododo et al., 2024). It is clear that AI does more harm to people than the benefit they get from using it. Whenever students use AI to make their work easier and faster, perhaps they are not using their brains, and our brain muscles need exercise.
It reduces the number of chances for students to learn new skills. “Mental passivity and ‘metacognitive laziness’ can lead to long-term stagnation of skills.” When students rely on AI for too long, they get stuck on one skill and can’t improve their thinking ability. If students rely too much on AI, they can become mentally passive. This means they might just accept answers instead of trying to understand them. Over time, they stop practicing important skills like thinking, problem-solving, and learning from mistakes.
AI is cheating. A 2026 Pew Research Center survey found that “Over 6 in 10 teens believe their peers use AI chatbots to cheat on schoolwork at least somewhat often.” This connects to the idea of mental passivity. When students depend on AI too much, they may stop thinking for themselves. They might not practice important skills like writing, solving problems, or understanding topics deeply. This means that when students use ai to do their work in school they become lazy in class and affect their academic performance.
This issue is important because it reduces students’ learning and prevents them from critically thinking and allows for cheating to take place. The best way to use AI in school is to use it as a helper, not an easy way to skip work. Students should use AI to learn ideas, get clear and simple explanations, and practice their skills, instead of using it to make answers to turn in as their own. A class should be taught on the benefits and harms of AI.
