Opinion piece by Karima Peerwani, Vice Principal
There is a new rhythm settling into modern classrooms. Not the lively buzz of discussion or the focused silence of deep concentration, but the quiet tapping of prompts into AI systems as students increasingly turn to machines for answers once reached through struggle, reflection and thought.
A pupil stares at a blinking cursor, types a question or idea of one and within seconds receives a polished response. The language is fluent. The reasoning appears confident. The work is submitted. Yet somewhere within that exchange, an important part of learning risks disappearing.
Don’t get me wrong - I am a technology fiend! But in an age of extremes shaped by instant gratification and consumer culture, schools must ask whether every new innovation genuinely serves learning. This may be the defining paradox of the modern classroom: the more technologically advanced and connected we become, the harder it seems for students and society alike to sustain attention, reflection and nuanced thought.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping education in some parts of the world. From lesson planning tools to personalised tutoring systems, AI offers clear opportunities to improve efficiency, accessibility and support for both teachers and pupils. Yet as schools adopt these rapidly evolving technologies, it is essential to consider not only what AI can do, but also what it can undo within the broader context of human development.
5 Reasons to Swipe Left for AI in Education
Good teaching has always mattered more than good technology.
AI may improve efficiency but it cannot replace strong pedagogy, metacognition or meaningful, authentic teacher-pupil relationships. Technology works best when it supports expert human judgement and skill rather than replaces it.
Learning requires cognitive effort.
Every teacher, athlete and even illusionist will tell you memory, critical thinking and problem-solving develop through reflection, retrieval and sustained practice. Over-reliance on AI-generated answers risks weakening intellectual resilience, independent thought and the habits of persistence that meaningful learning depends upon.
Recently, a colleague shared that a student submitted a polished AI-generated response but struggled to explain its central argument during discussion. The work appeared sophisticated, yet the understanding beneath it remained shallow.
AI may reduce nuance and deepen polarisation.
Social media has already shown how some algorithms can reward outrage, certainty and clickbait over thoughtful dialogue. Schools must continue teaching pupils how to navigate complexity, ambiguity and disagreement.
There are ethical and environmental costs.
AI raises concerns around privacy, consent, algorithmic bias and inequality — issues already visible in healthcare, recruitment and criminal justice. There is also the environmental cost. Large-scale AI infrastructure requires enormous energy consumption and water usage at a time when younger generations are already inheriting climate instability and ecological anxiety.
Education is about more than efficiency.
Anyone who has tried to teach knows experientially that efficiency is not compatible with all learners. Try teaching fractions or quadratic equations and you will see that deep understanding often develops slowly through struggle, discussion, repetition and sustained cognitive effort rather than linear efficiency.
Every good educator or educational publication will likely tell you the deeper purpose of education is human development: building resilience, judgement, empathy, creativity and identity.
Yet rejecting AI outright would be both unrealistic and educationally short-sighted.
5 Reasons to Swipe Right for AI in Education
AI can reduce administrative workload.
Automation has already transformed sectors such as finance and law by reducing repetitive tasks. In education, AI could reduce time spent on marking, planning and data management, allowing teachers to focus more on relationships, feedback and classroom interaction.
AI can improve accessibility.
This may be one of AI’s most significant educational benefits. Speech-to-text software, adaptive reading tools and personalised scaffolding can improve inclusion and independence for students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, visual impairments and communication difficulties.
Immediate feedback can accelerate learning.
Research consistently shows that rapid, live feedback improves skill development. AI tools may allow students to receive instant guidance and practise more independently. However, feedback still requires discernment and digital literacy.
Digital literacy is now essential.
Most industries are integrating AI into daily practice. Schools therefore have a responsibility not only to regulate AI use, but also to teach students how to engage with these technologies critically, ethically and responsibly.
Immersive technology may enhance experiential learning.
Virtual and augmented reality are already used in medicine, engineering and military training. In education, immersive technologies could allow students to explore historical sites, conduct virtual experiments and collaborate globally in ways that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Whichever direction you swipe, safeguarding must remain central to any AI strategy, with clear guidance around privacy, misinformation, bias and online safety. Teachers, teaching assistants and school leaders also need meaningful training, time and institutional support. Too often, schools are expected to navigate rapid technological change alongside intense workloads, shifting policy demands, growing pastoral responsibilities and increasing special needs.
Ultimately, the real question is no longer whether AI belongs in education, but how we use it to shape teaching and learning.
The deeper purpose of education extends beyond old-fashioned information delivery. I am proud to say that good schools help young people develop judgement, creativity, resilience, independence and the capacity to participate thoughtfully in civic and economic life.
Every technology, from the invention of paper to quantum computing, shapes not only what we do, but how we think. When students, regardless of age, outsource cognitive processes such as planning, writing, recall and analysis to machines, we must ask whether outsourcing cognition gradually changes cognition itself. That transformation may be inevitable — and perhaps even part of how human intelligence continues to evolve with machines.
So we arrive at the classroom outsourcing paradox: as machines grow smarter, faster and more capable, do we risk creating not deeper learners, but shallower minds?
Sources
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