AI is killing pupils' critical thinking - and many now can't be bothered to learn how to spell

Artificial intelligence is killing pupils' ability to think critically and stopping them learning things like spellings, research has found.

A survey of 9,000 teachers found 66 per cent of those in secondary schools thought critical thinking has declined because of AI tools such as ChatGPT.

The problem is even affecting younger children, with 28 per cent of those teaching in primary schools saying the same.

The poll, by the National Education Union (NEU), comes amid a debate over how much pupils should be allowed to use AI in their schoolwork.

One respondent told researchers: 'Children no longer feel the need to spell as voice-to-text replaces knowledge.'

Responding to the results, NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede said: 'Students must be able to think for themselves.

'This is at the heart of learning, but our survey shows a reliance on AI is having an effect on students' ability to think critically.

'AI should be there to enhance rather than diminish student learning. Teaching students about acceptable AI uses requires time in the school week and that time is in short supply.'

Artificial intelligence is killing pupils' ability to think critically and stopping them learning things like spellings, research has found (file picture)

The survey also found 76 of teachers use AI tools for their day-to-day work, up from 53 per cent from an equivalent survey last year.

Most – 61 per cent – said they used it for creating resources, while 41 per cent said it was for planning lessons and 38 per cent said it was for administration tasks.

However, only 7 per cent said they would use AI tools for marking.

Meanwhile, fewer than half of the total responding to the survey said their school has a policy for the use of AI by staff and students.

One said: 'I have seen too much cheating recently in exams and homework due to the use of AI.'

AI tutoring tools are set to be available to schools by the end of 2027, the Government has said.

They will be targeted at disadvantaged children in years 9 to 11, in an attempt to help close the disadvantaged gap in achievement.

However, only 14 per cent of teachers responding to the NEU survey said they agreed with this policy.

Several respondents expressed scepticism that AI tutors would give pupils the support they needed without proper human interaction with a teacher.

One said: 'Staff are not trained to use it properly, but are using it and it's producing sub-standard slop.'

Another said: 'AI has a hallucinate mode which means if it does not know something it will make it up. This makes it unsuitable to teach.'

It comes after research was released last month showing 95 per cent of university students now use AI in assessments, with some admitting it makes them 'lazy' and 'think less'.

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