Curb classroom AI before it's too late | Reporter Replay - video Dailymotion

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00:00The next big threat to America's kids is artificial intelligence. More and more young

00:06people are relying on AI bots like ChatGPT for everything from socialization to schoolwork,

00:12but if the trend continues, the cognitive consequences could be devastating.

00:16A recent MIT Media Lab study found that people who used large language models like ChatGPT to

00:23write essays had reduced critical thinking skills and attention spans and showed less brain activity

00:30while working than those who didn't rely on AI's help. And over time, the AI users grew to rely more

00:36heavily on the tech. A series of experiments at UP Wharton had similar results. Participants who used

00:43AI were able to research topics faster than those who used Google, but they retained and understood

00:50the information they got less. They weren't actually learning as much as those who had to actively

00:56seek out the information they needed. The bottom line, using AI for tasks like researching and writing

01:03makes us dumber and lazier. And even scarier, the MIT study showed that the negative effects of AI

01:09are worse for younger users, which is very bad news because AI use is spreading like wildfire through

01:16America's schools. A Pew poll in January found that some 26% of teens aged 13 to 17 admit to using AI

01:24for schoolwork, which is twice as many as in 2023. That number will continue to spike as AI use becomes

01:32more normalized unless adults step in. We've known for years how bad smartphones are for kids' brains.

01:38The result has been more social isolation, shorter attention spans, and higher rates of depression and

01:44anxiety. States are moving to ban phones in class, but so much damage has already been done. This time,

01:50there's a chance to act before there's widespread harm. Some two dozen states have issued guidance on

01:56AI use in classrooms, but that's only a start. Every state's education officials should ensure that every

02:02school cracks down. States should be putting more resources into creating reliable tools and methods

02:08to catch AI-produced work, and teachers need to be better educated on how to handle AI use in their

02:14classrooms and discuss the possible consequences with students and parents alike. Without an aggressive,

02:21organized response from grown-ups, too many kids won't build crucial cognitive skills because a chatbot

02:27does all the heavy lifting for them while their brains are still developing. AI can make a lot of tasks

02:33easier, but when it comes to learning, doing things the hard way is vital to building and maintaining

02:39needing skills and overall brain health. It's time to get serious about protecting kids from the harmful use

02:46of AI.