A.I. companions, career anxiety, and teacher burnout: What schools need to know

New research reveals where A.I. supports educators best

The Gist: A recent study shows A.I. works best for K–12 educators when it makes their job feel more manageable, not when it’s solely used to save time. While A.I. can cut back on time-consuming tasks like planning and grading, its real impact comes when educators feel confident using it to better manage their workload. With that confidence in place, teachers are more likely to focus on what matters most: engaging students, leading their classrooms, and feeling less overwhelmed day-to-day.

What to Know: A key finding from the study, Pathways to Teacher Wellbeing: A.I. Pedagogy Self-Efficacy, Workload, and Anxiety in a Structural Model, is that A.I. doesn’t improve teacher well-being on its own; confidence using it does. When educators feel skilled and supported using A.I., they’re more likely to strengthen their teaching and connect with students in meaningful ways. That confidence is also tied to higher job satisfaction. Without it, even the best tools can fall flat.

The study also found that A.I. can reduce workload, but only when it’s implemented thoughtfully. It can help streamline tasks like lesson planning, assessments, and routine communication, easing some of the day-to-day demands. However, if A.I. is treated as “one more thing” teachers have to learn on top of everything else, it can actually increase pressure instead of reducing it. That’s why ongoing training, hands-on practice, and clear expectations matter just as much as the tools themselves.

TSI’s Take: The success of A.I. in schools isn’t about the technology itself. It’s about the confidence educators feel while navigating the tool. This study reveals a key opportunity for schools: focus less on simply introducing A.I. tools and more on building confidence, clarity, and practical application in real classroom settings. When A.I. is framed as a supportive tool rather than an added expectation, it has a much better chance of improving teacher well-being and reducing burnout and turnover.

K-12 schools can empower educators to use A.I. confidently by:

• Make training hands-on and ongoing: Give teachers time to practice using A.I. for real classroom tasks like planning lessons or creating materials.
• Support educators in navigating A.I., not just using it: Provide professional development that helps teachers understand how A.I. impacts teaching, learning, and their well-being
• Create clear guidelines as a team: Co-create expectations with educators and offer coaching so they feel confident navigating and setting A.I. guidelines in their classrooms.

This is where The Social Institute’s A.I. Professional Development can support. Designed to build confidence, not just save time, these self-paced sessions help educators navigate when and how to use A.I. in ways that actually support their day-to-day work. Through practical, hands-on strategies, teachers learn how to use A.I. to strengthen instruction, engage students, and make their workload feel more manageable.

From Coachella to careers: How A.I. is shaping students’ futures

The Gist: A.I. is no longer just changing what students see online. It’s shaping the careers they consider, the majors they choose, and the confidence they feel about their future. At the same time, students are seeing A.I.-generated influencers show up at events like Coachella, posting highly realistic content despite not being real. As A.I. shapes both what students see and what they believe is possible, schools are left with a key opportunity to help students slow down, question what’s influencing them, and build the skills to tell what’s real, and what’s not.

What to Know: A recent report from education consultancy EAB found that 42% of college-eligible students say A.I. will influence their career choice, and 10% have already changed their intended major due to concerns about A.I. replacing jobs. A broader Gallup and Lumina Foundation poll echoes this trend, with nearly half of students reporting they’ve considered switching majors because of A.I. 

Along with that shift comes real uncertainty. Many students are feeling anxious, discouraged, or unsure about their future, and those feelings are shaping what they choose to study and whether they feel confident pursuing certain careers.

Students are also using A.I. during the college search itself. About 26% report using A.I. tools to research schools, meaning algorithms are now part of how students evaluate future decisions. At the same time, they’re surrounded by headlines and social content that swing between “A.I. is opportunity” and “A.I. is a problem,” often without much nuance.

Outside the classroom, A.I. is also reshaping online culture. A.I.-generated influencers are showing up at events like Coachella, posting highly realistic “experiences” and gaining large followings, even though they aren’t real people. As these accounts blend into everyday feeds, it becomes harder for students to determine what content is credible and authentic.

This is a chance to help students build the skills to question what they see, understand what’s influencing them, and make informed decisions.

TSI’s Take: Instead of treating A.I. as just another topic to cover, educators can use it to help students recognize how their decisions are being influenced by social media, algorithms, and the content they see every day.

Educators can empower students to think critically about the impact of A.I. by:

• Helping them identify key influences: Encourage students to reflect on where their career beliefs are coming from (social media, news cycles, peers, or personal interests).
• Building A.I. literacy skills alongside career exploration: Show students how A.I. works, where it falls short, and how it’s actually impacting different industries so they can evaluate opportunities more clearly.
• Normalizing uncertainty without letting it drive decisions: Acknowledge that the future is changing, while helping students focus on their values, interests, and long-term direction, not just trends or fear.

The #WinAtSocial Lesson, Impact of A.I. on creative careers, helps students explore how A.I. is already shaping fields like music, gaming, voice acting, and modeling. Through real examples and discussion, students unpack both the opportunities and challenges, helping them make sense of how these changes connect to their own goals and future decisions.

Teens, A.I., and the new kind of friendship nobody planned for

The Gist: Teens are increasingly turning to A.I. chatbots for companionship, support, and entertainment — sometimes to the point of emotional dependence. A Drexel University study found that what starts as casual use can shift into patterns that resemble addiction, impacting sleep, schoolwork, and real-life relationships.

Broader reporting shows many teens are spending hours at a time using A.I. companions, raising concerns among policymakers and prompting efforts like the GUARD Act to regulate teens’ access to A.I. chatbots. This growing challenge highlights the importance of helping students build healthy boundaries with A.I., especially when it comes to connection and emotional support.

What to Know: A Drexel University study analyzing more than 300 Reddit posts from teens (ages 13–17) found that A.I. companion use often starts casually, whether for conversation, entertainment, or emotional support, but can quickly shift into dependency-like behavior.

About a quarter of teens said they use chatbots to cope with loneliness, anxiety, or stress, while others use them for role-play, storytelling, or just for fun. But within those interactions, researchers saw patterns that resemble addiction, like difficulty stepping away, emotional reliance, disrupted sleep, and impacts on schoolwork. These behaviors can ultimately impact students’ relationships with others and communication skills.

Additional research shows just how embedded A.I. companions have become in teens’ lives, with usage time rivaling major social platforms. These concerns are now showing up in policy discussions, including the proposed GUARD Act, which would restrict A.I. companions for minors and require clearer disclosures. Altogether, this points to a growing need for schools to help students recognize when A.I. supports learning, and when it starts replacing real connection.

TSI’s Take: When students are equipped with A.I. literacy, they understand when A.I. supports productivity and learning, versus when it quietly replaces real-world coping, relationships, or focus. Knowing that distinction is becoming increasingly important as chatbots blend entertainment, emotional support, and constant availability in ways that feel natural to teens.

Teachers can strengthen students’ A.I. literacy by:

• Connecting A.I. to real-life choices: Help students reflect on how A.I. is shaping their thinking, whether it’s friendships, schoolwork, or future plans, and how to make decisions based on their values, not just convenience.
• Helping students recognize emotional influence: Guide students to notice when A.I. interactions are affecting their mood, confidence, or sense of connection, and how to respond in a healthy way.
• Encourage reflection when navigating chatbots: Teach students to pause and ask: Do I need A.I. for this? Is there another source or tool that would be more helpful?

In the #WinAtSocial’s Lesson, Advice from Real People vs. A.I. Chatbots, students examine when A.I. can support learning and when real human connection is more important. It teaches healthy boundary-setting and helps students strengthen real-world relationships while navigating A.I. in intentional ways. 

A.I. is reshaping education and student life, but its impact depends less on the tools themselves and more on how they’re used and understood. Whether it’s supporting teacher confidence, shaping student career choices, or influencing emotional connection, A.I. works best when paired with strong guidance, clear boundaries, and intentional skill-building. As A.I. tools become more embedded in everyday learning and life, the focus shifts toward helping educators and students navigate them thoughtfully and critically. The goal? Ensuring A.I. enhances rather than replaces real human growth and connection.

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students to navigate learning & well-being in a tech-fueled world. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we empower students, educators, and families to make high-character choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes while incorporating timely topics like social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in how they support student health, happiness, and academic success.