From education to the White House, A.I. is everywhere. Is your school ready to help students navigate it?
Key points summarized
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Teachers rethink how to use A.I. in the classrooms
The Gist: When artificial intelligence first started to appear in classrooms, many schools banned it outright, scared that it would hinder students’ learning and promote cheating. However, educators across the U.S. are now taking a positive and proactive approach to A.I. and using it as a teaching assistant to drive academic success and personalize student learning. Instead of spending hours monitoring student A.I. use, many are rethinking how they teach writing and literacy with A.I. by creating lessons that encourage creativity. Through this shift, are educators building students’ critical thinking and empowering them to use tech in positive ways?
What to Know: In North Carolina, Dr. Lily Gates, a high school English teacher, told ABC News that when students started using A.I. in school, her focus was on catching them using the tool irresponsibly. She quickly realized that instead of spending time giving quality feedback on their assignments, she was spending hours policing A.I. use. As a result, she shifted her writing instruction to highlight student voice through “Say, Seed, Slay,” where students record their ideas and receive feedback from their peers so they can develop the foundation of their essays before beginning to write.
In Georgia, tech director Daniel Forrester takes another approach to A.I. and uses it to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills. He teaches students how to assess A.I. results for accuracy, bias, and relevance through what he dubbed the “Foresster 4” questions: What did you use A.I. for, what did you put in, what did you get out, and what did you keep?
Forrester told ABC that the last question is key, and helps students use A.I. as a thought partner instead of a tool for cheating.
TSI’s Take: While it may feel easy to ban all A.I. use in the classroom, that restrictive approach doesn’t teach students how to navigate the tech tool in healthy ways when they leave school. By coaching responsible use, schools can turn A.I. into a tool to support learning. To empower students to use A.I. responsibly, educators can:
- Model how to spot bias and inaccuracies in A.I. responses
- Design projects that showcase students’ unique voices, rather than reciting information
- Encourage curiosity about how A.I. shapes their learning journey
As A.I. becomes further integrated into our lives, we’re reminded of all of the ways we can use A.I. for good. Students can strengthen their critical thinking, build healthier tech boundaries, and keep their unique voices at the center of their work. Interested in equipping your students with the skills to thrive with A.I.? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson: Making everyday tasks easier with artificial intelligence
The White House* launches a nationwide A.I. Challenge
The Gist: First Lady Melania Trump recently announced the Presidential A.I. Challenge, a nationwide contest inviting all K–12 students to design A.I.-powered projects that address real community challenges. The initiative encourages students to think big, collaborate with peers, and use technology not just as a tool, but as a force for good. By spotlighting student creativity on a national stage, the challenge aims to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers and innovators to use A.I. for good in their communities.
What to Know: This challenge, as part of an executive order advancing A.I. education, is designed to drive student collaboration & innovation, and empower them to use A.I. in healthy ways. Every K–12 student in the U.S. is invited to participate in the Presidential A.I. Challenge by teaming up to create a project that uses artificial intelligence to solve a community issue.
Registration is open now, and each team must have a teacher or adult mentor to help them submit by December. The students and their mentor who excel in this challenge will get to join competitions in the spring, and national winners will be honored at the White House. Through this challenge, the U.S. government is highlighting how much A.I. is playing a central role in students’ lives.
TSI’s Take: The A.I. Challenge isn’t just about winning a competition or boosting students’ resumes. It’s about empowering students to use their mics for good and explore how A.I. can solve meaningful problems within their communities. Educators can play a powerful role in supporting students and amplifying their voices by:
- Connecting classroom lessons to the contest, helping students see how academic skills translate into real-world impact.
- Encouraging students to think critically about the ethical implications of their projects, ensuring innovation helps serve the people of their community.
- Showing examples of other students who have made a positive impact in their communities through their work with technology, like these college students who are helping fight cybercrime with A.I.
Schools can use challenges like these to empower students to use their voice for good and teach them how to use technology in ways that fuel their learning and future success. Want to help your students rise to the challenge? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson: Breaking down ChatGPT and the role of artificial intelligence in our lives
*The Social Institute is a non-partisan organization
OpenAI CEO recognizes and warns against over-reliance on A.I.
The Gist: As A.I. tools become more integrated into classrooms and everyday life, experts warn students about the risks of emotional attachment and overuse. Reports of users forming deep bonds with chatbots, and even experiencing “A.I. psychosis,” highlight how quickly people can become addicted to A.I. chatbots. With leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman now warning about A.I.’s addictive properties, schools have an opportunity to help students build healthy boundaries and perspective when it comes to A.I. use.
What to Know: OpenAI’s initial plan to retire GPT-4o caused an uproar among users who felt emotionally tied to it, underscoring how dependent people are becoming on specific A.I. models. Some even described the older model as a trusted friend or “digital spouse.” Psychiatrists have reported hospitalizations linked to delusions involving A.I., while some everyday users admit feeling “addicted” to chatbot conversations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged this growing phenomenon, noting that people often confide deeply in A.I., turning to it like a therapist or life coach. While these interactions can provide comfort and guidance on a surface level, Altman warns they also carry risks, including clouded judgment and unhealthy reliance. These developments highlight just how powerful and potentially risky A.I. interactions can be for students when they are not taught how to navigate the tool responsibly and set healthy boundaries with tech of all kinds.
TSI’s Take: For students, A.I. can be a powerful thought partner, from brainstorming ideas for fun things to do with friends to providing advice on someone else’s perspective after an argument. However, it should never replace a real human connection. Educators can play a key role in empowering students to strike a balance with A.I. by:
- Huddling about healthy limits with A.I. and the difference between helpful support and unhealthy dependence.
- Encouraging device-free activities that build friendships, teamwork, and resilience offline.
- Empowering students to think critically about A.I. outputs and how those results impact their well-being
As A.I. grows more sophisticated, balance becomes essential. By teaching students to see A.I. as a helpful tool rather than a substitute for relationships, schools empower students to create healthy boundaries with A.I. that fuel their success. Ready to help students find that balance? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson: Exploring our school’s policies for A.I., phones, and beyond
Whether it is a teacher reimagining traditional lesson assignments, a nationwide contest sparking innovation, or new concerns about overuse and dependency, the message to students is clear: striking a balance with tech, like A.I., matters. By creating space to huddle about navigating A.I. responsibly and encouraging innovative teaching and thinking, schools can help students develop the judgment and confidence they need to thrive in a tech-driven world. Ready to equip your students for success? Request a demo of our proactive approach to A.I. Literacy lessons that fuel learning, health, and happiness.
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive 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, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.