I have been researching artificial intelligence for almost 8 years. I enjoy teaching my students about it and working with educators to help them get started with it in their classrooms. Over the past two and a half years, many concerns have been expressed about the impact of AI in education, whether or not it is just a fad, and whether or not it belongs in education. 

As someone who has spent years teaching, researching, and presenting sessions or in class about AI’s role in education, I’ve seen its potential to transform learning. I’ve also seen the risks and negative impacts when schools rush to adopt AI tools without considering ethical implications, data privacy, or long-term effects.

AI is all around us in our work as educators, whether we realize it or not. AI automates tasks, helps to personalize learning, and even serves as a co-teacher or teaching assistant in some classrooms. But if we don’t take the necessary precautions when deciding how we use AI, it could also have negative effects. Without careful consideration, we could widen inequities and compromise student privacy, leaving schools unprepared for the legal and ethical challenges that come with it.

Where AI is Thriving in Education

There are attention-grabbing headlines daily, and I receive at least ten emails related to AI and its benefits. Educators can access AI tutors, save time with AI-generated lesson plans, and have AI assistance in grading. These AI tools can be highly beneficial for overworked teachers or underfunded schools. Talks about teacher burnout and schools looking for resources and grants are ongoing focus points of conversations surrounding AI.

Let’s consider the benefits of AI-powered personalized learning platforms, for example. They can analyze student performance and adapt the content in real-time, offering remediation or enrichment based on each student’s needs. Feedback needs to be authentic, meaningful, and timely. Providing immediate feedback is invaluable, especially when teaching large group sizes, where personalized instruction can be a bit more challenging because of time constraints. 

Then there’s AI-assisted grading. Tools like CoGrader and other AI essay graders are helping teachers provide feedback more efficiently. Instead of spending hours marking papers, educators can use AI to highlight patterns in student writing, suggest improvements, and free up time for deeper instruction and evaluation of student work. 

AI has a role in accessibility. Speech-to-text software, real-time language translation, and adaptive technologies powered by machine learning are breaking down barriers for students with disabilities and English language learners.

AI provides many benefits to educators and students, but it’s also raising some serious concerns that we must address.

The Data Privacy Problem 

Most AI tools require data to function. They need student performance metrics, behavioral analytics, and keystroke tracking. What happens to that data? Who owns it? Who protects it? We need to know the answers to these and more questions. 

Another area that I focus on is cybersecurity. I have spoken with educators from schools adopting AI without fully understanding its implications. FERPA and COPPA exist to protect student data, but many AI tools may not follow these perfectly.  Some may collect and store more data than necessary, and schools may not have the time or the team to carefully evaluate whether a tool is in compliance with COPPA and FERPA.

Take AI-powered proctoring software, for instance. These systems monitor students through webcams, track eye movements, and flag “suspicious” behavior. However, false positives are common, and the amount of biometric data collected raises ethical concerns.

Even seemingly harmless AI chatbots designed to answer student questions collect interactions that could be stored indefinitely. Without strong policies, we risk turning education into a massive, unregulated data experiment.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

Educators must regularly lead the AI conversation. One of my biggest concerns is that educators are left out of it. School leaders and edtech companies might be making decisions about AI adoption in their schools without input from the teachers who will use these tools.

We also need to teach students how to engage critically with AI. Just as we teach digital citizenship, we should teach AI literacy—how to evaluate AI-generated content, spot misinformation, and understand the limits of machine learning.

If we want AI to work for education, not against it, educators must be trained not just on how to use AI but on its implications. 

AI isn’t going away. If anything, its role in education will only expand. The question isn’t whether we should use AI in schools—it’s how we use it responsibly.

Stay tuned for the continued conversation in part two of this AI series. 

About Rachelle

Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth is a Spanish and STEAM: What’s Next in Emerging Technology Teacher at Riverview High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle is also an attorney with a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. Rachelle received her Doctorate in Instructional Technology, and her research focus was on AI and Professional Development. In addition to teaching, she is a full-time consultant and works with companies and organizations to provide PD, speaking, and consulting services. Contact Rachelle for your event!

Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and community leader who served as president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network. By EdTech Digest, she was named the EdTech Trendsetter of 2024, one of 30 K-12 IT Influencers to follow in 2021, and one of 150 Women Global EdTech Thought Leaders in 2022.

She is the author of nine books including ‘In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU,” “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World, “True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us,” “Things I Wish […] Knew” and her newest “How To Teach AI” is available from ISTE or on Amazon.

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