Another driver of AI reluctance may be a lack of familiarity with the technology. In Microsoft’s AI in Education report, 68% of educators say they have used AI once or twice, while 22% use it daily. However, only 24% claim a strong familiarity with AI.
Most educators in this survey may be trying to develop a better understanding of how the emerging technology could be applied to their administrative and classroom tasks.
AI Benefits Productivity and Differentiated Learning
Between managing the classroom, grading assignments, planning lessons, communicating with parents and families, and meeting administrative requirements, teachers are stretched thin as they strive to meet all of their occupational demands. Generative AI is well suited to address these pressing teacher needs.
According to Carnegie Learning, teachers who use AI are finding multiple benefits from doing so:
- 42% found that using AI reduced the time spent on administrative tasks.
- 25% reported benefits in AI’s ability to assist with personalized learning.
- 18% reported benefits related to improving student engagement.
- 17% noted AI benefits in enhancing student learning outcomes.
Notably, only 1% of respondents found no benefit to using AI in the classroom.
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Looking at the particular tasks where AI has been applied, the majority of Carnegie Learning respondents (52%) are using the technology for brainstorming and idea generation. Others use it to create teaching materials, plan lessons or grade assignments.
Overall gains in productivity and personalized learning were reflected in both the CoSN and Microsoft reports. Among Microsoft’s respondents, 24% used AI to update lesson plans, supporting materials and assignments.
Biggest Concerns Include Training on AI and Student Cheating
While educators have found valuable upsides to using AI, they are also concerned about the technology. When CoSN asked them about AI’s biggest risks, 63% worried about new forms of cyberattacks, and 49% cited a lack of teacher training for integrating AI into instruction. Concerns about training and classroom integration were high among Microsoft respondents as well, with 50% seeing a lack of training and support as the biggest challenge.
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The most widespread concerns by far among Microsoft and Carnegie Learning educators, however, were related to student cheating and plagiarism.
This worry is not lost on CoSN educators, with 20% of respondents saying that they worked in districts that use tools to detect AI-generated answers in student work. Clearly, this is a leading concern for educators that includes a thorny patch of ethical considerations with no easy answers.
