The rapid growth of AI has left teachers in an unsure position when considering its usage in their schools.
Answers are unclear and educators are being left without much guidance on dealing with both students using AI and their own personal incorporation of it when teaching.
The National Literacy Trust found that the percentage of teachers using AI had increased from 31% in 2023 to 47.7% in 2024 with secondary school teachers using it significantly more.
Dianne Davis is a science teacher at a secondary school in County Durham. She explained how she works with artificial intelligence along with her worries for how it could impact young people.
A teacher with her class © Vocational Training Courses
“It’s a very dangerous tool when used incorrectly”
“I use AI to generate comprehension tasks for students from a piece of text that is appropriate for their age group using a site called Diffit.”
Diffit is an AI tool specifically designed for teachers to create resources for their students, they reported that in 2024, 96% of users said it saved them time and 86% agreed it made them a better teacher.
Davis revealed that Diffit is a tool her school prompted her to experiment with.
“We’re not directed to use AI, but we are sometimes asked to try out new things in a ‘tweak of the week’ programme.”
She agrees that Diffit, along with other generative AI tools, can be helpful when used properly but can pose certain risks in her school.
“It’s okay in moderation if it saves time but it’s also a very dangerous tool when used incorrectly to produce fake content of staff and students for example.”
These concerns are felt throughout the education sector, Statista found that as of 2024, 81% of teachers who do not use AI expressed worry that it would have an effect on the critical thinking skills of their students.
A group of students © Childline
Two thirds of UK university students have used AI
Educators are struggling to navigate the rapidly growing tools provided by generative AI, in 2024 the University of Oxford published a list of ten tips for both students and teachers to assist their understanding.
The most prevalent issue for students appears to be the use of AI in their school and homework, with varying opinions on its validity.
Statista found that as of 2024, 78% of schools in the United States reported using an AI content detection tool to ensure students hadn’t used it in any of their work.
But Davis disagrees with the penalisation of students using generative AI tools to assist them in their schoolwork.
“I don’t have an issue with homework being handed in that’s been done with AI but I know that the English department have had problems with it at times.”
Both staff and students are having trouble coming to a total consensus on how to deal with AI, even so far as on a university level.
YouGov reported that as of 2025, two thirds of UK university students have used AI to help work on their degree and Davis says she feels for those teaching at an even higher level.
“I imagine it’s a minefield for university lecturers.”