As more teens use AI in school, parents are grappling with how it impacts learning

The useful part

There's one item on many teens' back-to-school supply lists you won't find in stores — and at some schools, not even in the classroom. TODAY correspondent Emile Ikeda sat down with families to learn how this quickly evolving technology is making its way into classrooms, and whether schools encourage it. Amanda Hyslop, a nurse and writer in San Francisco, was shocked to find her son taking a picture of his math homework to solve a problem.

How it works

• Now he uses it as a tool to teach him how to understand a concept or create a practice test.
• "I don't really know anyone that doesn't use it," Hyslop's son William Driegert said.
• After having more conversations about AI, Hyslop was inspired to help write the AI policy for her son's school district.
• In the course of those discussions with his mom, Driegert, now going into ninth grade, has changed his stance on AI in the classroom.
• He says he initially would use the technology to find the answer for a math problem.

What to take from it

"I started using it to help me, solve and understand, so I could do better on like, my math test," Driegert said. While parents can control what conversations are had at home, most parents don't get to influence curriculum planning. 73% of teens are missing out on key AI literacy conversations with their teachers, according to the survey.

Details worth keeping

The survey measured the different ways AI comes up in academic spaces.