AI Impact on High School Learning Outcomes
By Max Sun, Glenbrook North High School
Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly developed and become increasingly accessible to the public, fundamentally changing the way that people live their lives. This development has become especially important in educational institutions, where the presence of AI creates both exciting and challenging possibilities for both educators and students. This paper reviews the existing literature on the costs and benefits of using AI in high schools, and recommends strategies for its application in K-12 education.
New AI models, particularly large language models (LLMs), can provide great utility in high schools by providing a quick resource to answer questions for students. AI can personalize the learning experience for students, recognizing their particular needs and adapting course content to better fit their preferences. This personalized learning can, in turn, increase student motivation and create a more engaging learning experience (Al Nabhani et al., 2025; Alasgarova & Rzayev, 2024). On the other hand, students can also use AI to bypass assignments to either save time or achieve a better grade. This poses a risk to students by their becoming over reliant on AI and lacking the originality and critical thinking skills gained by completing these assignments (Alasgarova & Rzayev, 2024; Zhai et al., 2024). To remedy this, it is essential for schools to educate teachers and students on how to best implement and use AI to assist in learning.
Costs and Benefits of Using AI
This paper primarily focuses on large language models, such as ChatGPT, which are trained on vast textual datasets enabling the model to learn from and use to generate human-like speech. AI has grown to be extremely popular among students due to its ease of use and conversational nature. AI can quickly generate ideas, correct grammar, generate practice quizzes and other study material, summarize complex texts, and provide clarifications (Knoblauch & Joost, 2025).
More importantly, AI has the potential to create personalized learning experiences for students. By recognizing variations in students’ strengths, learning pace, and styles, an AI algorithm could personalize course content to better meet individual needs. AI can also track students’ learning progress, provide feedback and assistance as they move through the curriculum (Kim, 2024). Simultaneously, AI could recognize the areas, where students are struggling, and provide additional assistance and resources (Knoblauch & Joost, 2025). By adapting to individual student’s needs, AI can boost motivation and deepen subject interest, fostering a more meaningful and engaging learning experience (Al Nabhani et al., 2025).
Conversely, granting students quick and easy access to AI poses considerable risks. Students could use AI to quickly answer questions and bypass many assignments. This poses a risk of students becoming overly reliant on AI, weakening their originality and critical thinking skills. Consequently, students who rely on AI for their assignments are more likely to engage in plagiarism, adding to the ever-present issue of academic dishonesty (Alasgarova & Rzayev, 2024; Zhai et al., 2024). For these reasons, it is essential to educate students on the proper and responsible usage of AI as a supplemental learning tool. Schools must teach students to use AI to enhance their understanding instead of bypassing the learning process.
Recommendations
With the rapid development and growing accessibility of AI, it is inevitable that AI will become a critical part of education. Therefore, it is necessary for AI to be implemented responsibly. Both teachers and students should understand the risks of AI. Teachers need to be educated on how to best implement AI into their curriculums as a supplemental learning resource for students (Kim, 2024; Knoblauch & Joost, 2025). Students should not use AI to trivialize assignments, but to enhance the relevance and meaning of assignments. In addition, teachers should guide students to use AI to enhance their learning and understanding, while making them aware of the risks of overreliance. Guidelines on AI use should be clear and accessible to students, and they should include the consequences of violating them. Finally, to prevent students from being overly reliant on AI, teachers need to emphasize the importance of developing critical thinking skills. Educational institutions could also implement AI literacy courses focused on teaching students how to effectively utilize AI without becoming over reliant on it. These courses would teach students about AI mechanisms, the biases that can come from large language models, and the ethical issues of AI use (Zhai et al., 2024).
Conclusion
In conclusion, schools should adopt AI cautiously, ensuring that teachers and students alike understand its risks. If implemented properly, AI has the potential to greatly enhance education and learning.
References
Alasgarova, R., & Rzayev, J. (2024). The role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping high school students' motivation. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science (IJTES), 8(2), 311-324. Link
Al Nabhani, F., Hamzah, M. B., & Abuhassna, H. (2025). The role of artificial intelligence in personalizing educational content: Enhancing the learning experience and developing the teacher’s role in an integrated educational environment. Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(2), ep573. Link
Kim, J. (2024). Leading teachers' perspective on teacher-AI collaboration in education. Education and Information Technologies, 29(7), 8693-8724. Link
Knoblauch, C., & Joost, R. (2025). The potential of artificial intelligence in education: Supporting educational transformation for learners and educators. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, 18(1), 28-40. Link
Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students' cognitive abilities: A systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 28. Link
About the author
Max Sun is currently a senior student at Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, IL. A quick learner, he is passionate about math, computer science, and engineering. In his free time, he finds enjoyment in music and video games.
By Max Sun, Glenbrook North High School
Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly developed and become increasingly accessible to the public, fundamentally changing the way that people live their lives. This development has become especially important in educational institutions, where the presence of AI creates both exciting and challenging possibilities for both educators and students. This paper reviews the existing literature on the costs and benefits of using AI in high schools, and recommends strategies for its application in K-12 education.
New AI models, particularly large language models (LLMs), can provide great utility in high schools by providing a quick resource to answer questions for students. AI can personalize the learning experience for students, recognizing their particular needs and adapting course content to better fit their preferences. This personalized learning can, in turn, increase student motivation and create a more engaging learning experience (Al Nabhani et al., 2025; Alasgarova & Rzayev, 2024). On the other hand, students can also use AI to bypass assignments to either save time or achieve a better grade. This poses a risk to students by their becoming over reliant on AI and lacking the originality and critical thinking skills gained by completing these assignments (Alasgarova & Rzayev, 2024; Zhai et al., 2024). To remedy this, it is essential for schools to educate teachers and students on how to best implement and use AI to assist in learning.
Costs and Benefits of Using AI
This paper primarily focuses on large language models, such as ChatGPT, which are trained on vast textual datasets enabling the model to learn from and use to generate human-like speech. AI has grown to be extremely popular among students due to its ease of use and conversational nature. AI can quickly generate ideas, correct grammar, generate practice quizzes and other study material, summarize complex texts, and provide clarifications (Knoblauch & Joost, 2025).
More importantly, AI has the potential to create personalized learning experiences for students. By recognizing variations in students’ strengths, learning pace, and styles, an AI algorithm could personalize course content to better meet individual needs. AI can also track students’ learning progress, provide feedback and assistance as they move through the curriculum (Kim, 2024). Simultaneously, AI could recognize the areas, where students are struggling, and provide additional assistance and resources (Knoblauch & Joost, 2025). By adapting to individual student’s needs, AI can boost motivation and deepen subject interest, fostering a more meaningful and engaging learning experience (Al Nabhani et al., 2025).
Conversely, granting students quick and easy access to AI poses considerable risks. Students could use AI to quickly answer questions and bypass many assignments. This poses a risk of students becoming overly reliant on AI, weakening their originality and critical thinking skills. Consequently, students who rely on AI for their assignments are more likely to engage in plagiarism, adding to the ever-present issue of academic dishonesty (Alasgarova & Rzayev, 2024; Zhai et al., 2024). For these reasons, it is essential to educate students on the proper and responsible usage of AI as a supplemental learning tool. Schools must teach students to use AI to enhance their understanding instead of bypassing the learning process.
Recommendations
With the rapid development and growing accessibility of AI, it is inevitable that AI will become a critical part of education. Therefore, it is necessary for AI to be implemented responsibly. Both teachers and students should understand the risks of AI. Teachers need to be educated on how to best implement AI into their curriculums as a supplemental learning resource for students (Kim, 2024; Knoblauch & Joost, 2025). Students should not use AI to trivialize assignments, but to enhance the relevance and meaning of assignments. In addition, teachers should guide students to use AI to enhance their learning and understanding, while making them aware of the risks of overreliance. Guidelines on AI use should be clear and accessible to students, and they should include the consequences of violating them. Finally, to prevent students from being overly reliant on AI, teachers need to emphasize the importance of developing critical thinking skills. Educational institutions could also implement AI literacy courses focused on teaching students how to effectively utilize AI without becoming over reliant on it. These courses would teach students about AI mechanisms, the biases that can come from large language models, and the ethical issues of AI use (Zhai et al., 2024).
Conclusion
In conclusion, schools should adopt AI cautiously, ensuring that teachers and students alike understand its risks. If implemented properly, AI has the potential to greatly enhance education and learning.
References
Alasgarova, R., & Rzayev, J. (2024). The role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping high school students' motivation. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science (IJTES), 8(2), 311-324. Link
Al Nabhani, F., Hamzah, M. B., & Abuhassna, H. (2025). The role of artificial intelligence in personalizing educational content: Enhancing the learning experience and developing the teacher’s role in an integrated educational environment. Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(2), ep573. Link
Kim, J. (2024). Leading teachers' perspective on teacher-AI collaboration in education. Education and Information Technologies, 29(7), 8693-8724. Link
Knoblauch, C., & Joost, R. (2025). The potential of artificial intelligence in education: Supporting educational transformation for learners and educators. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, 18(1), 28-40. Link
Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students' cognitive abilities: A systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1), 28. Link