It’s no secret that AI has become very popular in day-to-day activities to many. Whether it’s for work, personal activities, or, now at the forefront of many controversies, education, AI has become one of the most influential innovations of the past decade. 

So what does this mean for education?

Most people believe that while AI has the potential to change education in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), it also brings serious and vital challenges with it that need to be addressed. 

One of the biggest concerns of incorporating AI into education is academic integrity. Tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek have the ability to solve math problems, write code, and generate essays.  If this is left to be uncalled for, this could have a chance of affecting the value of education, leaving students educationally unprepared for the real world. In this sense, while it may be potentially useful in the future, AI is incredibly harmful to students as of now, and it needs to stay out of the classroom.

“At the core of the learning process for any student is being able to figure stuff on their own, and once you see the work of someone else, then that kind of shorts-circuits that learning process,”  computer science teacher Yaroslav Mayewsky says.  “Even though you feel like you’re getting through the material, you’re not actually learning from the material, which isn’t going to help you [with] a quiz or a test.”

But beyond plagiarism as a core issue, there is also the concern that AI might be unreliable as a learning tool for the classrooms, so Mayewsky tested it himself. “I actually did try and sit down one day to see how good AI would be in making up its own computer science exam, and it wasn’t very good at all,” Mayewsky said. “It was good at kind of regurgitating back to me a lot of questions that are seen on the internet but nothing really original or creative.” This just highlights how much AI has to improve in the long run, especially when you have to create something in classes that requires a creative touch or some type of originality. AI just can’t replicate this and raises questions about how well it can truly aid in deep learning.

Perhaps AI isn’t inherently bad — if  LCPS in the future sets clear policies on AI use, mainly making sure it’s something that aids a student rather than a shortcut. For example, some districts have adopted AI literacy programs, teaching students how to ethically and responsibly use AI. “I’m sure at one point AI will be able to analyze the students’ work, see what their deficiencies are, and customize some type of assignment for them to work through,” Mayewsky said. As the AI develops over the years, it could be used as a tool that enhances learning rather than something that goes past it. 

Students such as Sophomore Kavin Sandhu also agree that AI can aid in educational activity, when restricted. “I feel like AI benefits students because there are a lot of helpful elements,” Sandhu said. “For example, if you have a writing piece, you can get a check for any grammatical errors and overall just help with their writing structure. I also use it to help with reviewing exams or practicing materials, such as putting my notes into ChatGPT and asking it to make practice questions.”

That begs the question: should we incorporate AI into school curriculums or just restrict it altogether? We know that such influential technology will eventually make its way into education. “It’s evolving every day, so I think eventually there’s gonna be a lot more use for it, more so than now, so it will eventually be used,” chemistry teacher Michael Clear said. “And as technology grows, AI grows and we incorporate it into much more.” 

We’ve seen it before with calculators, laptops, and other smart devices. However, it’s still too early to label AI a silver bullet in the classroom. It’s a cheat code, not a supplement. To put it plainly, the use of AI is harming education right now–even if there might be room for it in the future.