A Student’s Guide to Using AI in Education

It is imperative that students learn to use AI tools as partners instead of replacements for learning.

Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and even Apple’s new Apple Intelligence are quickly changing how students learn and study. These AI-powered personalized tutoring systems and writing assistants have made learning easier and more accessible, but they also raise concerns about impacting the ability for students to learn how to think, as well as ensuring students are completing their own work. As a student in this modern world, it is essential to understand both the good and bad sides of Artificial Intelligence platforms and to learn how to use it responsibly and ethically.

Benefits

One of the most useful components of AI is its ability to adapt. These systems can personalize study tools and plans based on a student’s performance and learning style, which has helped students improve their test scores by up to 62% (1). This has been especially important in accessibility where AI tools such as text-to-speech assistance and real-time transcription have improved educational resources for students with disabilities. 

Along similar lines, AI has made high-quality supportive resources accessible for students of all socioeconomic and geographical backgrounds (2). For students who live in remote or underserved areas, AI-driven tools have been shown to tangibly increase school performance. A study in China showed an 18% increase in math scores in remote areas where educational access was limited when AI tools and chatbots were implemented. Furthermore, AI-powered chatbots support multilingual education and enable personalized support and early intervention for struggling students whose early warning signs of falling behind may otherwise go unnoticed (3).

ChatGPT’s new “Study Mode” feature is a great way for students to use AI to constructively find answers to their questions. Instead of simply providing an answer, the new Study Mode guides students to finding the answers themselves by providing interactive prompts to stimulate active learning. Furthermore, the tool remembers past study sessions and takes into account a student’s study goals so that it can help provide connections to material that the student has already learned. 

When used correctly, AI tools can quickly improve research and skills development. These systems can help students develop critical skills such as finding patterns in information and analyzing data. These abilities are increasingly valuable in STEM fields. Using AI now can help students get ready for jobs where these tools are becoming more common.

Drawbacks

Despite multiple benefits, AI carries very real risks. Turnitin, a tool to detect AI use in student submissions, reports that over 22 million submissions contained at least 20% AI-drafted content. More than 6 million submissions contained over 80% AI-drafted content (4). This demonstrates that students are using AI-driven tools in their work, however, current AI-detection system accuracy only ranges between 33-81%, indicating that students may be copying from AI platforms without getting caught (or getting accused of copying when their work is original) (5).

Students may also be becoming too dependent on AI in their learning. AI use is often used as a form of cognitive offloading, using outside tools to decrease mental effort and improve performance. A study involving extensive surveys and interviews administered to various age groups showed that AI use was correlated with increased cognitive offloading and decreased critical thinking skills in younger people (17–25) as opposed to older individuals (6). Basically, the less you practice thinking independently, the less you are able to use complex thinking. Not only are students thinking less deeply but they are producing less high-quality work. The knowledge that these tools generally use are from open-source resources from the internet, which is laced with bias and fabricated information themselves.⁷

Ethical Guidelines and How to Move Forward

Different schools have different rules when it comes to using AI. Some ban it completely, while others allow it in certain situations. But a golden rule is to maintain transparency. Always be honest about when, where, and how AI is used in an assignment including what you typed into the AI chat and how you used the results. AI is most helpful for brainstorming, outlining, or clarifying confusing concepts but for important work, like essays or projects that build real skills, it’s best to do the work yourself. Furthermore, always double-check that the material that AI gives you is accurate and reliable. Most importantly, make sure the use of AI is permitted before using it for an assignment. 

Moving forward in the world of modern education, it is imperative that students learn to use AI tools as partners instead of replacements for learning. It is no longer a choice between artificial intelligence and solely independent work, since current students and even educators are already using these platforms. Therefore, it is important for modern day students to learn how to ethically use Artificial Intelligence. As a student, if you stay aware of your school’s AI policies, use AI as an addition instead of replacement to your own critical thinking skills, and maintain honesty, Artificial Intelligence can be a significant tool in your educational arsenal!

1. Springs. (2025). Main AI Trends In Education (2025). Retrieved from https://springsapps.com/knowledge/main-ai-trends-in-education-2024

2. University of Illinois. (2024). AI in Schools: Pros and Cons. Retrieved from https://education.illinois.edu/about/news-events/news/article/2024/10/24/ai-in-schools--pros-and-cons

3. Hongli, Z., & Leong, W. Y. (2024). AI solutions for accessible education in underserved communities. Journal of Innovation and Technology, 2024.

4. Turnitin. (2024). Turnitin celebrates first anniversary of AI writing detection. Retrieved from https://www.turnitin.com/press/turnitin-first-anniversary-ai-writing-detector

5. University of Chicago. (2023). Combating Academic Dishonesty, Part 6: ChatGPT, AI, and Academic Integrity. Retrieved from https://academictech.uchicago.edu/2023/01/23/combating-academic-dishonesty-part-6-chatgpt-ai-and-academic-integrity/

6. Gerlich, Michael, AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking (January 03, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5082524 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5082524

7. Phys.org. (2025). Increased AI use linked to eroding critical thinking skills. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ai-linked-eroding-critical-skills.html

Shreya Ghosh, M3

Sidney Kimmel Medical School