The kids think AI is alright, according to survey data the Pew Research Center published Tuesday. They're using it for a wide range of schoolwork tasks -- including cheating.
Teenagers seem to have a more optimistic view of AI compared to adults. Only 17% of US adults felt AI would have a positive impact over the next 20 years, Pew found in a study last year. For teenagers (ages 13 to 17), that number goes up to 36%. Perhaps unsurprisingly, adults with significant experience using generative AI tools are the most optimistic, at 51%.
Many of today's debates about how AI should be used are reflected in teens' perspectives. Pew's survey included anonymized quotes from teen respondents. One teen who viewed AI positively said it will "meet the needs of almost everything." Another said AI will automate mundane tasks, giving people more time to do what they really want -- a common pro-AI argument.
Those who viewed AI negatively raised concerns about its potential harm to the environment, job opportunities and creativity. Another respondent put it more bluntly: "It destroys young people's minds and brains."
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These debates are especially relevant to teens, who may be using AI tools like chatbots more often than their parents realize. Pew found that 51% of parents believe their teen uses chatbots. When teens were asked directly, that figure jumped to 64%.
Like any new technology, there's a lot of concern about how teens and their undercooked, still-developing brains are using AI. Researchers and educators worry that students are at risk of stalling their learning development if they outsource their critical thinking to AI tools. But that risk varies with use; AI isn't an inherently evil threat to teens, but it can become one if misused. This is what we know so far about how teens are actually using AI -- the good and the bad.
How teens are using AI in school
Teenagers are somewhat split on using AI tools to aid with schoolwork; 45% say they don't use chatbots for homework help, while 54% say they do use them to some degree.
Teens are primarily using AI to search for information.
The biggest AI uses are around information gathering. Teens are using AI to search for information (57%) and for help researching specific topics (48%). This makes sense given chatbots excel at information scouring and summarization. Teens are also using AI to help solve math problems (43%) and to edit writing assignments (35%).
But like any tool, some teens are using it to cut corners and avoid doing the work. Pew found that one in 10 students uses chatbots to do most or all of their schoolwork. And nearly 60% of teens believe that their peers are regularly using AI to cheat at school.
"People rely too much on AI to do school work, ask basic questions, etcetera," one teen responded in the Pew survey.
Tech companies have heavily advertised their AI products to students, especially those in college. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude each have advanced modes dedicated to research. There's an ongoing debate about the best ways to implement AI in education -- balancing the desire to teach students how to best utilize the new tech without letting them entirely run amok.