Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become increasingly ingrained in our society. Inside of the education system, specific expectations regarding AI use among students and teachers is a highly debated topic without much clarity. At Berkeley High School, there is no current schoolwide policy or guidance that dictates AI usage protocols, and it is largely up to teachers to determine how they talk about and implement AI in their classrooms. Students are given varying expectations on the subject between classrooms, and most end up ultimately making individual decisions on how they will use AI for academic purposes. In May 2025, 84 percent of students reported using Generative AI to help with schoolwork in a survey conducted by the College Board. Similar surveys have found that student AI use has been increasing over time.
While general student AI usage increases, there remains a divide between how students are using it. Some have figured out or been taught how to leverage AI as a resource for learning, using it as an extension of their in class instruction — asking follow-up questions, checking understanding, or getting extra practice. Others have begun to rely on it to complete assignments or cheat on exams. As access to these tools becomes increasingly available, students who never learn productive methods of interacting with AI risk falling through the cracks of our system. When students use AI tools to complete assignments for them, it often comes at the expense of learning opportunities, and makes it difficult for teachers to identify whether more support is needed.
Teachers who resort to entirely banning the use of AI in their classrooms or ignoring its existence are acting counterproductively to students' best interests, as disregarding AI does not decrease improper usage. Search engines like Google are now embedded with large language models (LLMs), ChatGPT and other companies such as Snapchat offer free AI services, and NotebookLM is already beginning to be picked up by educators and students. The expanding access to AI tools has rendered most classroom bans ineffective.
The technology is very likely here to stay, and as students continue to experiment with tools, schools like BHS must adapt in response to ensure that proper education on the constructive use of AI is provided to their students. According to the California Department of Education, "learning with AI can enhance academic learning in any content area, when implemented with safety and ethical use in mind." The most effective way to encourage this would be for teachers to directly engage with students in instruction on how to use these tools as an additional resource to expand their education. Students should learn how to use AI safely, avoid false information by fact checking, and prompt LLMs to provide explanations rather than answers. Maintaining critical thinking skills should be prioritized by educators.
Not all teachers are well versed in the technology though, and disparities between teachers’ comfort with and understanding of AI inhibit degrees of beneficial conversation within different classrooms. According to Peter Seibel, a computer science teacher at BHS, there has been only small amounts of professional development for BHS teachers on handling AI usage. BHS should address this by training teachers on how AI can be used responsibly as a productive tool without impairing learning.
Students who aren’t taught effective and responsible use of AI tools are put at a disadvantage to their peers who are able to use the technology in constructive ways. Teachers should feel an obligation to guide students in building critical thinking with an integration of AI. Since AI will likely be a part of our lives and is already used by so many, it is important that AI literacy be included in these teachings.