Students who use AI generally score worse at school

A global OECD study suggests that students who use AI for schoolwork generally score worse than nonusers, especially when AI is used to summarize assigned reading or draft writing. For CIOs and technology leaders, the key implication is that AI deployment in education and workforce learning must be paired with guardrails, critical-thinking training, and usage patterns that support—not replace—productive cognitive effort; otherwise, productivity gains may come at the expense of skill development. The research also indicates that moderate, intentional AI use combined with instruction on evaluating AI output can improve outcomes, highlighting the importance of change management and digital literacy in IT-led AI programs.