More than a third of teachers are worried about their students’ use of AI, a survey has disclosed.
Research into 53,000 children and 1,200 teachers from the National Literacy Trust found pupils’ use of generative AI has more than doubled in the last year. But teachers are concerned it could stop children thinking for themselves or decrease their engagement with learning.
Four in 10 children said they use AI to support their literacy, with 19 per cent using it to write stories and 13 per cent to write poems or lyrics. But half of teachers said they feel “cautious” about its use, with fears it could have a negative impact on overall writing skills.
Of the 38 per cent of teachers who said they were worried about their students’ use of AI, half believe it has the potential to stop children thinking for themselves. Meanwhile, the number of teachers using generative AI themselves has risen from 31 per cent last year to 48 per cent in 2024.
They mainly use it to create lessons, generate model answers and for lesson planning. Three-quarters of teachers said they need more training to be able to use it effectively.
Jonathan Douglas, of the National Literacy Trust, said: “Today being literate includes the skills of effectively, critically and creatively engaging with generative AI, yet our education system struggles to keep pace with its rapid growth and capabilities.”
The findings also revealed that almost half of young people said they usually add their own thoughts into anything AI tells them. But worryingly, one in five said they “usually just copied” what generative AI told them. The report said this suggests “greater support may be needed to ensure this group of young people have the skills they need to critically evaluate AI responses.”
The report also found that girls were as likely as boys to say they had used generative AI. Children eligible for free school meals were equally likely to say they had used it as their peers not on free school meals. Mr Douglas added: “We must now bring together teachers, policy makers and business leaders to redefine what literacy means in our new technological world”
