Whilst experts can speculate on how AI will affect education, we wanted to find out directly from the people who'll decide whether to incorporate AI into their own teaching and learning.

General Insights

The following questions were posed to every participant so we could gauge the difference in general awareness and attitudes towards AI-driven technology between user types.

How familiar are you with AI tools in education?

35% of students said they were very familiar with it in an educational context. Only 5% of students considered themselves unfamiliar, a striking indicator that almost all students of this generation are hyper aware of what these tools can do.

In contrast, 30% of the parents were unfamiliar with these tools, with the majority feeling neutrally placed on the scale. Overall, most of them have some knowledge of AI in education, indicating they are not blind to its existence and potential impacts.

Tutors were much closer to students than parents, with 65% feeling familiar with AI tools in education and a lot less than other groups (19%) feeling neutral about it. This indicates that the technology is popular amongst educators, but its use cases may polarise opinions.

How often do you use AI tools in educational settings?

"Sometimes" was the most common response overall, with approximately 30% of respondents across all groups indicating at least occasional usage of AI tools in education.

Do you think AI tools will be a common part of education?

Across the board, the vast majority of users believe AI is on the path to becoming a common part of education, whatever form that may be in. It’s not clear yet if this is an optimistic or pessimistic outlook to that prospect.

Interestingly, parents were the most convinced of all, with 40% seeing it as a certainty, with tutors and students agreeing it is probably going to become commonplace.

Do you think AI can improve the learning experience in schools?

These results seem to suggest a balanced view from each group that it does indeed have that potential to be a force for good in education. Despite some fears of what the worst long-term outcomes of using AI in education may be, for now, there seems to be a more optimistic outlook.

What Do Parents Think?

Do parents understand how AI is being used to support their children’s education?

40% of parents do not understand how AI is being used to support their child’s education, with only 25% feeling well-informed. This result underscores a notable gap in parental understanding and awareness of AI's role in education.

Do parents believe AI tools can help improve their child’s academic performance?

These results show an interesting comparison to the previous graph. Whilst the majority of parents don't understand how AI is being used to help their children learn, they remain open-minded to accepting AI as a positive influence. This highlights the lack of success stories in companies building practical tools that are actually being used in the classroom.

Are parents comfortable with their children using AI in any way they can for educational purposes?

This question really seemed to divide the cohort of parents. With a near-even split between comfort and discomfort - 35% each way - alongside a large neutral group, it is clear that parents are seeking reassurance and clearer guidelines around responsible AI use.

Do parents have concerns about the role of AI in education?

55.7% of parents have significant concerns about AI in education. This finding, along with a neutral outlook on letting their children use these tools and a lack of understanding of the tools themselves, underscore a critical need for reassurance, transparency, and careful communication. In some cases, you can find parents that have found their own way to introduce it to their children.

Do parents think teachers should be trained to integrate AI tools into the classroom?

A clear majority (53.2%) of parents believe that teachers should receive training to integrate AI tools effectively into their teaching practice.

Interestingly, 32.9% said they "Don’t Know Enough to Say," further reflecting a significant knowledge gap and highlighting the need for better communication about the value of AI training for educators.

What about using AI tools outside the classroom for preparation?

Just 7.6% disagreed, demonstrating minimal opposition to the idea that AI could help free up time for educators when it came to preparing lessons. Over 12% more parents consider this a better use of AI than actually using it in the classroom - a significant yet modest difference of opinion.

From extra comments left on the survey explaining their responses, parents expressed both optimism and significant concerns. Here are the key themes and unique insights:

Key Insights from Parents

1. Supportive Tool, Not a Substitute Tool

• Many parents recognise AI's potential as a powerful educational tool that can enhance curiosity, creativity, and individualised learning. 
• However, they strongly emphasise that AI should support—but never replace—personal interaction with knowledgeable teachers, which is essential for developing social skills and critical thinking.

2. Need for Training and Regulation in Schools

• Parents highlighted an urgent need for comprehensive training for teachers, students, and themselves in using AI responsibly and effectively.
• Concerns were raised about the current lack of regulation and guidelines, which leaves room for misuse and misunderstandings around AI's educational role.

3. Risk of Overreliance and Skill Loss

• A popular concern is that excessive reliance on AI may negatively impact students' perseverance, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and resilience.

4. Future Implications and Employment

• Several parents worry about AI's implications on future employment, fearing job losses or significant shifts in required skills, different to those already gained.
• Conversely, some recognise AI as an essential part of future workplaces, urging education systems to prepare children accordingly.

Unique Insights from Parents

• A detailed comment from a clearly knowledgeable parent emphasised distinguishing between general AI and specifically generative AI. They highlighted research suggesting generative AI usage could drastically diminish cognitive capabilities if students haven't first acquired foundational knowledge on independently reviewing sources and critical analysis.
• Another highlighted the UK's lag in adopting AI educationally, seeing it as a missed opportunity given the nation's innovative heritage.
• Conversely, another parent strongly criticised AI as creating a whole generation lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills, lamenting its negative impact on independent thinking without using technology to tell them the answers.

What Do Students Think?

Do students feel comfortable using AI tools in their studies?

74.5% of students agreed that they already feel comfortable using AI tools for their studies, with almost 40% feeling very strongly about it. Despite a lack of training in schools, this indicates they are highly accessible and appealing to the younger generation.

How Do Students Use AI?

How often do students use AI tools in their homework or assignments?

The data suggests that AI is rapidly becoming a mainstream part of students' academic routines, with three out of four using it regularly in their homework. 

While only a small percentage (16.3%) use it constantly, a significant number (32.6%) rely on it quite often.

This shift underscores the importance of teaching students how to use AI responsibly and ethically in their learning. It is important to guide students on how to combine AI effectively with traditional study techniques to avoid misinformation and overreliance on AI as a source.

How often do students use AI tools like ChatGPT for schoolwork?

That means nearly 80% of students are using chatbots like ChatGPT to support their schoolwork to at least some degree.

However, 20.9% still “Never” use such tools, indicating there's still a portion of students either unconvinced by the technology or showing restraint from letting them inform how they complete their schoolwork.

How do students use tools like ChatGPT?

The majority of students are using ChatGPT either as a springboard for their own ideas or to help express their thoughts in a clearer way. This reinforces the idea that AI functions more like a writing assistant or brainstorming partner than a full-on substitute for learning. 

With 7% admitting to copying and pasting answers, most students seem to be using AI tools responsibly. This is still a significant number, considering that participation bias may prevent many students from answering truthfully.

Some comments volunteered by students suggest they find ChatGPT good for research but have a lack of trust compared to being taught by a human. Some others agreed but found it frustrating that it requires specific instructions to get the best results - something unlikely to happen with a human.

AI seems to be supporting—not replacing—student thinking. 

What Do Tutors Think?

Do tutors feel comfortable using AI tools to assist their tuition?

Overall, tutors feel more comfortable using AI tools for their tuition than not, with around 1 in 4 undecided and 1 in 5 strongly against using it.

Are AI tools a useful aid for preparing, teaching and supporting students?

Continuing the trend with just over 50%, a majority agree that AI tools are useful, indicating that while some are not comfortable using them yet, they agree there is potential. A similar amount seem stalwart about their concerns for AI, with around 30% disagreeing again on some level. The UK government, however, sees this use of AI as a worthwhile investment.

Are tutors comfortable with their students using AI in any way they can for educational purposes?

Understandably, a majority of tutors do not agree that students should be left to their own devices using AI. Most educators will be experienced and highly trained in traditional education and learning methods and are, therefore, better placed to decide when to use them.

What Are the Limitations of Current AI Tools?

Online tutors have identified several critical limitations with current AI tools in education. While tutors acknowledge AI's benefits, they also highlight significant concerns and limitations that impact effective teaching and learning:

1. Accuracy and Reliability

• AI frequently generates incorrect or misleading information. It is notorious for making simple mistakes that are difficult to spot as they are conveyed so confidently.
• Tutors consistently emphasise that AI outputs must be thoroughly fact-checked, as unchecked information can lead to serious misunderstandings or misinformation. In many cases, this makes the manual creation of materials more practical.
• One tutor recounted a student who nearly created carbon monoxide at home due to an incorrect AI-generated formula.
• Another described an AI-generated literary analysis that invented an entirely fictional poem attributed to Robert Frost, showcasing a striking example of misinformation.

2. Impact on Critical Thinking and Learning Skills

• Many tutors are concerned that AI encourages passive learning, negatively affecting students' critical thinking, analytical skills, and independent research abilities.
• A study has already found that increased generative AI usage is correlated with a corrosion in critical thinking skills.
• Concerns were raised about the lack of AI's ability to critically evaluate or facilitate meaningful discussions and debates, which are crucial for developing students' analytical and evaluative capabilities.

3. Quality and Originality of Work

• Tutors frequently criticise AI-generated essays or assignments as superficial, lacking coherent structure, and resulting in what one described as "word salad." It has not been held in high regard for English or History applications. 
• AI-generated content is often easily detectable due to unnatural phrasing, poor argumentation and high plagiarism scores.

4. Limitations in Personalisation and Subject-Specific Nuances

• Tutors highlight that AI struggles to adapt to individual student needs, especially for students with unique learning challenges.
• Specific subject limitations were noted, including inadequate knowledge of UK curricula, BTEC assignments, IB/A-level style questions, and advanced concepts in maths, economics, languages, and science.

5. Ethical and Environmental Concerns

• Several tutors raised ethical objections, such as AI’s reliance on plagiarised or unattributed human-generated content.
• There were also concerns about the environmental impacts of extensive AI use due to its reliance on energy-hungry server farms.

6. Cultural and Contextual Relevance

• AI-generated responses were sometimes described as overly American-centric, requiring explicit specification to generate UK-appropriate examples or contexts.

Conclusion

While acknowledging AI’s potential as a helpful educational tool, tutors - who seem best placed to speak on the topic - stress that it must be carefully managed and critically assessed.

The biggest concern around AI seems to be its potential to erode critical thinking and problem-solving skills by allowing students to ‘cognitively offload’ hard, impactful work that develops their education.

There are some key questions to consider - like what happens when these tools are accessible to students before they’ve developed key critical thinking skills required to learn? If you’ve never been forced to write an essay from scratch, will your command of the English language develop in the same way?

It is a similar issue to that of the recent rise of social media and smartphones getting into the hands of younger and younger students (around 50% of children have their own smartphone by the end of Year 6, aged 11 - before they’ve even properly analysed any literature!).

Some schools now perform PSHE classes on breaking down what they see on social media and thinking critically about the content - digging into the hidden biases, agendas and scrupulous sources of the carefully curated and engaging content that is rife online. 

Whilst there are some key benefits to using AI in education, it’s important to parents, guardians and educators that these tools are thoughtfully brought into the classroom.