Students who use AI generally score worse at school
OECD data: students using AI for studying score worse — except those trained to critically evaluate it.
Why it matters
First global educational assessment since AI went mainstream shows learning outcomes diverging by use pattern. Practitioners in EdTech and enterprise training should track this as evidence that AI adoption without critical-thinking scaffolding underperforms.
The key facts
10 to knowOECD PISA 2025 data — first mainstream-AI era assessment
15-year-old students tested in science, math, reading
General AI use correlates with lower scores
Critical evaluation training moderates the effect (slight boost observed)
Study global, multi-country sample
OECD PISA 2025 study — first post-mainstream-AI assessment of 15-year-olds globally
Students using AI for studying perform worse overall
Critical evaluation training reverses the negative correlation — some students see slight boost
Tests: science, math, reading across multiple countries
Data collected in 2025, published Sept 2026
Go to the source
The Verge AItheverge.com
Publisher excerpt: Students who use AI to help them study tend to perform worse at school than those who don't, according to data from a global OECD educational report. The situation is more complex than it sounds though, with certain types of AI use giving learners a slight boost, especially among students taught to…