Debate: Is using AI beneficial for high school students?

Sophie Brogadir and Ryan Needham • February 12, 2025

Should high school students be allowed or encouraged to use AI?

YES, AI is beneficial for high school students By Ryan Needham

Debates regarding whether AI is beneficial for high school students have been on the rise for years now. The world of technology is changing rapidly, with AI becoming more and more common among high school students and educators across the globe. Although many argue that AI is a dishonest, unproductive, negative educational tool for high school students, the pros of using AI outweigh the cons.

In a study conducted by ACT (American College Testing), data shows that roughly 46% of high school students use AI tools such as Chat GPT, Dall-E 2, and Bing Chat.

In a study from Harvard University, data illustrates that 63% of students ages 14-22 who use AI use the tool to get information.

One of the main concerns about AI use among high school students is academic integrity. However, receiving information from AI does not mean that a student’s work is dishonest or plagiarized.

AI tools can actually enhance and grow a student’s academic performance and capabilities by customizing a student’s learning experience based on the questions a student may ask the AI. In the article, Benefits of AI from Washington State University, it explains, “AI can adapt to individual learning approaches, pace, and progress, providing customized feedback, recommendations, and resources”.

Though some may argue that AI cannot compare to an actual teacher or instructor’s feedback, Ethan and Lilach Mollick from the Harvard Business Publishing explain, “It [AI] can be given quickly and at scale and it can help students consider their work from an outside perspective. Students can then evaluate the feedback, decide what they want to incorporate, and continue to iterate on their drafts.”

AI is a strong, helpful tool that should be used by high school students to answer questions and receive feedback on their work.

The argument about whether AI is beneficial for high school students has both pros and cons. However, when used appropriately, AI is beneficial for high school students around the world. Whether students use AI to get information, answer unasked questions they have, or receive feedback on their work, students can use AI’s advice to improve their work and academic performance all around.

NO, AI does more harm than good By Sophie Brogadir

AI should not be a resource available to high school students for many reasons. Educators and administrators are justified in their concerns that AI will do more harm than good.

GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) AI is a relatively new concept, with its first model released in 2018, and it still has many flaws.

For one, AI can be biased and relay false or misleading information. Many teachers are now using “AI Detectors” to ensure that their students aren’t submitting AI-written essays and papers.

The looming problem with this is that many of these AI detectors flag papers written by non-native English speakers as being AI-written.

A study conducted by researchers at Stanford addresses this issue. James Zou, the lead researcher, writes, “While the detectors were “near-perfect” in evaluating essays written by U.S.-born eighth-graders, they classified more than half of TOEFL essays (61.22%) written by non-native English students as AI-generated.” TOEFL stands for the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

While this example doesn’t directly demonstrate the negative impact of high school students using AI, it highlights that AI isn’t a reliable resource for educators either.

AI can also reduce human interaction among students. Instead of asking a classmate or teacher for help when they are stuck, students can just turn to AI for quick answers.

While instantaneous answers can be viewed as beneficial, they can delay the development of social skills and detract from the classroom learning experience.

Relying on AI for quick, effortless answers can also lead to an overdependence on technology. According to an article from Eastgate Software, “If students are always provided with ready answers by AI systems, they may not feel the need to engage in deep, analytical thinking.”

If this over-dependence on technology, particularly AI, continues to rise, people will become less intelligent over time. They won’t be able to solve problems independently or engage easily with others.

What do you think? Is using AI beneficial for high school students?

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