In a world where technology is rapidly advancing and social media is most of what we consume on a daily basis, artificial intelligence (AI) has become more normalized in various aspects of our routines. Recently, the work of students and teachers are affected by the new rise of AI in school systems.
AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini have started to become more popular over the last few years. The percentage of high school students who use AI for schoolwork went from 79% in January of 2025 to 84% in May of 2025. The issue arises when students treat AI not as a tool, but rather as a source for answers. Though at the end of the day, AI is just computer software and it is inevitable that it will become more and more commonly used in our lives, a lot of students are using it to complete schoolwork for them or even to cheat on major exams. Schools rapidly pushing AI tools without the proper support and communication will lead to unethical and environmentally-negative outcomes. That’s where the direction of AI specifically in school settings is going wrong.
The ethical murkiness of AI is a nuanced conversation happening everywhere, not just in schools. AI tools like ChatGPT use copyrighted material and take personal data without consent to improve their responses. In schools, this raises privacy issues for students whose data may be stored and analyzed. Additionally, AI tools don’t always produce accurate information. They have biases in their data too. The ethical components of online safety are being compromised if students don’t know how to use AI in a careful manner.
When using software as advanced as AI, you have to take into account the negative effects it has on you as a student and human, but also the global and environmental impacts which are frequently overlooked. The data centers that house AI servers produce 5,000 metric tons of electronic waste annually, with a rapid increase from the last three years. A lot of the data centers are also built in places that already have limited freshwater, taking up a majority of their water sources. This results in water scarcity in those areas. Furthermore, AI software relies on large amounts of electricity, causing the emission of greenhouse gases, which is already a major issue in our world.
The biggest issue about AI in schools is its impact on learning. AI tools make it easier for students to avoid engagement in lessons. It’s okay to use AI if you’re using it to sort through notes, create a template, come up with synonyms or for other simple tasks. However, AI should not be used to write full essays, give homework answers or overall complete tasks that the student should be doing themselves. AI should just be a helping hand to support one’s learning. Using AI every step of the way weakens critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are skills that are valued at Jefferson. AI tools should be used to advance student learning, not cut it short. Normalization of AI in student work often raises questions about student and academic integrity, which is a major issue at Jefferson. Contradicting integrity, having unrestricted access to AI makes it easier to promote academic dishonesty.
To add on, dependence on AI contributes to brain rot, a term used to describe the cognitive dulling from consuming low-quality, repetitive digital content. Brain rot leads to cognitive overload and poor decision making skills. Over time, this dependence on brain rot can make students feel less capable and less confident in their own work.
The problem is further intensified by teachers who are actively and openly using AI too. When they use it to write lesson plans or to create and grade tests, it indirectly encourages students to use AI. AI is great to use on the side, but not when they solely rely on it.
Despite this, supporters of AI in education still argue that it can be used in schools. Some say because AI acts as a free tutor, explains concepts easily and gives feedback on work, it’s helpful, without being fully aware of its harmful effects on the environment and cognitive thinking. It’s also frequently noted that AI doesn’t have a significant impact on digital security because it’s already an ongoing issue.
While it is true that people have been dealing with privacy threats during decades of internet commercialization and unrestrained data collection, the difference with AI comes from the scale of these threats. With AI, you have even less control over what information is being collected and how it is being used. To provide better support in the school environment, the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) School Board replied to the concerns of students using AI during their meeting on Jan. 8th.
“We are developing training [on how to use AI tools] for adults,” Superintendent Michelle Reid said. “We as adults have to better understand AI to make sure we provide clear guidance and direction to our children. So it’s critical that we partner with [OpenAI] to provide training [for] the awareness for our staff to understand these tools so we here in FCPS can shape this conversation.”
However, these measures do little to address the core issue of students misusing AI. It is necessary to support teachers to better understand AI, and show them how to help students on AI ethicality and safety, but that does not always prevent misuse or stop students from using AI outside the classroom. Just integrating AI in schools promotes AI use and opens a conversation of not just raising awareness on how to use AI, but becoming more AI-dependent as a whole. Once AI tools are normalized, enforcement will be nearly impossible. Students are already using AI, and even though it is important to raise awareness to use it safely, schools should also incorporate stricter restrictions with AI.
AI can be a valuable resource, but only when used correctly to help with mundane tasks in an ethical fashion. It only becomes a bigger issue when there is overconsumption of AI, which happens with unethical usage, leading to a negative environmental impact.
It is important that parents, teachers, administration and students themselves take action to raise awareness for the unethical and dangerous misuse of AI. 45% percent of high school principals have already added levels of restrictions around accessing AI tools and hopefully soon, all students will be aware of the possible harm of AI.