Will our educational system keep pace with AI?

By a High School Junior and AI Club President | San Francisco Bay Area

When I first joined my school’s robotics team in freshman year, the closest thing we had to AI was a sensor that could follow a line on the floor. Fast forward to now, junior year, and we’re debating whether using ChatGPT to brainstorm a debate speech is clever or borderline cheating. AI moved fast. School? Not quite as fast.

I’m the president of our school’s AI club, which started last year with five members, mostly because we were curious about all the hype. Since then, we’ve built simple AI models, discussed ethics in AI, and even hosted a workshop for teachers on how to spot AI-generated content. But one question keeps coming up in every meeting: are schools ready for this?

how students use AI before class even starts

For lots of us, AI tools have become just part of the daily routine. We use them to summarize long articles, check grammar, brainstorm essay topics, or even to explain physics problems we couldn’t quite get in class. According to Common Sense Media’s 2024 report on teens and ChatGPT, over half of high school students have tried AI tools for schoolwork at least once. But only a small percentage reported being explicitly taught how to use them responsibly.

There’s a quiet gap forming between what students are doing and what schools are prepared for. And when no one talks about it, that gap gets wider.

schools are trying—but the tech is moving fast

To be fair, schools are doing their best to catch up. Our district recently adopted an AI usage policy that encourages teachers to set their own guidelines. It’s a start, but it’s also kind of confusing. One teacher lets us use AI to outline essays, another won’t accept anything that’s been through an AI tool at all.

The EdWeek article “AI in K-12 Education: Where It Stands and Where It’s Going” makes it clear that many school districts are unsure how to proceed. Some are experimenting with classroom use, others are banning tools outright until clearer regulations emerge. But that waiting game creates a weird dynamic where students are learning faster than the rules are being written.

what teachers actually want

During our AI club’s teacher workshop, we asked what they needed to feel more comfortable using AI. Their answers weren’t surprising: time, training, and examples of how it could actually help them rather than just add more to their plate. One teacher asked if ChatGPT could make reading comprehension quizzes. (Yes.) Another wondered if AI could help modify assignments for IEP students. (Also yes.)

There’s curiosity, not resistance. But it’s buried under mountains of grading and lesson planning. Most teachers I’ve spoken with aren’t anti-AI. They’re just overwhelmed and cautious—understandably.

cheating vs learning: the fine line

Probably the biggest tension point is whether using AI is considered cheating. There’s no universal answer yet. Some schools treat it like using a calculator in math class—helpful, within limits. Others treat it like sneaking a phone into a final exam. But the truth is, AI use isn’t always about cutting corners. Sometimes it’s about survival, especially for students juggling sports, jobs, and family responsibilities.

And sometimes, it’s about access. Students with language-based learning differences or limited access to tutors are using AI as a stand-in for support they don’t otherwise get. Is that cheating, or is it adaptation?

real-world skills vs classroom constraints

One of the weirdest things about AI right now is how different school feels from the rest of the world. In tech internships, you’re expected to use tools like GitHub Copilot or Notion AI. At school, using similar tools can get you in trouble.

In an article from The Washington Post (June 2023, All the unexpected ways ChatGPT is infiltrating students’ lives), teachers nationwide shared how AI had changed the way students approached assignments. One teacher in Texas redesigned his entire curriculum to include AI reflection questions. Another, in Oregon, lets students write rough drafts with AI, but requires handwritten final versions with annotations.

Neither approach is perfect, but both reflect an important shift: adapting the classroom to reflect the real world, not ignoring what’s already happening outside it.

the uneven playing field

Not every student has access to AI tools—or knows how to use them well. Some schools in the Bay Area have faster internet, newer Chromebooks, and IT support. Others are still working with aging devices and filters that block nearly everything, including useful AI sites.

In wealthier districts, students might have a parent working in tech who can explain how to prompt GPT. In others, students might be using a phone in the library between jobs to try and generate an outline. The more AI becomes essential, the more these differences matter.

rethinking assessments

If students can use AI to write an entire five-paragraph essay, maybe the problem isn’t the AI. Maybe it’s the assignment. That’s a conversation more teachers are starting to have. What if assessments weren’t just about writing, but about presenting, defending ideas, or creating something new?

There’s movement here. Some districts are piloting oral presentations, project-based learning, and digital portfolios instead of traditional tests. It’s not about lowering standards. It’s about raising the bar to something more meaningful than regurgitating content AI can summarize better than we can.

AI literacy is just as important as computer literacy

We spent years teaching kids how to type, search Google, and use Microsoft Office. Now we need to teach them how to use AI tools ethically, creatively, and critically. That means lessons on bias, prompt writing, deepfakes, and when to say, “No thanks, ChatGPT, I’ll write this myself.”

Groups like AI4K12.org are already creating curriculum tools to introduce AI concepts in age-appropriate ways, from elementary school up. But it’s still rare to find any of that in the average middle or high school curriculum.

what students want from schools

We don’t want a free pass. We want clarity. If we can use AI, tell us how. If we can’t, tell us why. And if you don’t know yet, involve us in figuring it out. Most students aren’t trying to cheat—they’re trying to keep up.

Teachers and administrators, we’re not asking you to be AI experts overnight. But let’s not pretend this stuff doesn’t exist. Create spaces to talk about it, test it, even mess up a little. Let us learn what’s possible and what’s responsible. Trust us enough to explore that together.

And if you’re a student who wants to do more? Start a club. Host a conversation. Ask your principal what your school’s AI policy is. (If they say, “We don’t have one,” that’s your opening.) Schools will catch up faster if students help lead the way.

How to Launch a Bay Area High School AI Club in 10 Easy Steps