Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds
Pupils fear that using artificial intelligence is eroding their ability to study, with many complaining it makes schoolwork “too easy” and others saying it limits their creativity and stops them learning new skills, according to new research,The report on the use of AI in UK schools, commissioned by Oxford University Press (OUP), found that just 2% of students aged between 13 and 18 said they did not use AI for their schoolwork, while 80% said they regularly used it,Despite AI’s popularity, 62% of the students said it has had a negative impact on their skills and development at school, while one in four of the students agreed that AI “makes it too easy for me to find the answers without doing the work myself”,A further 12% said AI “limits my creative thinking” while similar numbers said they were less likely to solve problems or write creatively,Alexandra Tomescu, OUP’s generative AI and machine learning product specialist, said the study was among the first to look at how young people in the UK were incorporating AI into their education.
“The thing I find fascinating is how sophisticated the answers are,” Tomescu said.“For 60% of students to say they are concerned that AI tools encourage copying rather than doing original work, that’s a very deep understanding of what your schoolwork is meant to help you do, and what the pitfalls and benefits are associated with this technology.“Young people who are using this technology actually have a pretty sophisticated, quite mature understanding of what the technology does in relation to their schoolwork, which is fascinating because we don’t give young people enough credit when it comes to using technology in an educational space, unaided, in this way.”OUP’s findings follow empirical studies on the use of AI in education.One published this year by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) measured brain electrical activity during essay writing among students using large language models (LLM) such as ChatGPT, and concluded: “These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI’s role in learning.
”Nearly half of the 2,000 students surveyed by OUP said they were worried their classmates were “secretly using AI” for schoolwork without their teachers being able to spot it.Many reported that they wanted more help from teachers for the appropriate use of AI and in judging whether its output was reliable.OUP said it is launching a new AI education hub aimed at supporting teachers.“Some of these findings will be very interesting for teachers, especially around how much students are expecting guidance from teachers.We sometimes think there is a technological generational divide, and yet they are still looking at their teachers for guidance in how to use this technology productively, and I find that very positive,” Tomescu said.
Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionDaniel Williams, an assistant headteacher and AI lead at Bishop Vesey’s grammar school in Birmingham, said: “The findings closely reflect what I see in school.Many pupils recognise AI’s value for creativity, revision, and problem-solving but often use it as a shortcut rather than a learning tool.”Just 31% said they didn’t think AI use had a negative impact on any of their skills.But most students said using AI helped them gain new skills, including 18% who said it helped them understand problems, and 15% said it helped them come up with “new and better” ideas.Asked to elaborate, one 15-year-old female student said: “I have been able to understand maths better and it helps me to solve difficult questions.
”Meanwhile, a boy aged 14 claimed: “I now think faster than I used to,”
Rachel Reeves says those with broadest shoulders should pay fair share of tax
Rachel Reeves has said those with the “broadest shoulders” should pay their “fair share” into the exchequer as she prepares to raise taxes in next month’s budget.The chancellor is expected to deliver a package of tax increases and spending cuts on 26 November to meet her fiscal rules in the face of deteriorating forecasts from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).Speaking in Washington DC, where she was attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Reeves confirmed she was looking at wealthy taxpayers as she draws up her budget plans.But she stressed that she was determined not to deter this group from making the UK their home. “I want Britain to be a great place for talent, for entrepreneurs, for successful individuals to come, and that requires getting the balance right,” Reeves said
Labour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows
Government ministers met representatives from the fossil fuel industry more than 500 times during their first year in power – equivalent to twice every working day, according to research.The analysis found that fossil fuel lobbyists were present at 48% more ministerial meetings during Labour’s first year in power than under the Conservatives in 2023.The government defended the meetings, saying ministers held meetings with a wide range of representatives from “the energy industry, unions and civil society to drive forward our clean energy superpower mission”.The findings have raised concern among critics about the extent of the fossil fuel industry’s influence over government at a time when ministers are trying to lower bills and transition to a more sustainable energy system.A report from the International Energy Agency in 2023 found that fossil fuel companies still had “minimal” engagement with the global clean energy transition, contributing just 1% of clean energy investment globally
Reform UK accused of sowing division in Wales in rowdy TV byelection debate
Reform UK has been accused of sowing division over immigration in the south Welsh valleys constituency of Caerphilly before next week’s crucial Senedd byelection.During a fiery candidates’ debate, Nigel Farage’s party was criticised for using immigrants to score political points rather than treating them as individuals.An audience member said that people like her who had someone not born in the UK in her family no longer felt welcome in the area since Reform had arrived to campaign and had advised her sons to avoid certain places.A new poll, released on Thursday, suggested Reform was leading the race in the byelection for the Welsh parliament seat, with 42% of people saying they would support the party, followed by Plaid Cymru (38%), with Labour trailing on 12% and the Tories on 4%.If the poll proves accurate, it would be a huge blow to Labour, which has always held the Caerphilly Senedd and Westminster seats and currently runs the Welsh government
Drag acts, detractors and true-blue diehards: my weird weekend at a Margaret Thatcher festival
The bronze statue of Margaret Thatcher by the sculptor Douglas Jennings has a rating of 2.8 out of five on Google Maps. Although curiously, none of the reviewers seems to have overly preoccupied themselves with the quality of the craftsmanship or the fidelity of the likeness. “One of the most important PMs this country ever had,” writes one. “It’s a public toilet but there’s nowhere to wash your hands,” writes another
Proposed UK cuts to global aid fund could lead to 300,000 preventable deaths, say charities
The UK is expected to slash its contribution to a leading aid fund combating preventable diseases, with charities warning this could lead to more than 300,000 otherwise preventable deaths.If confirmed, the anticipated 20% cut in the UK contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, would be announced on the sidelines of next month’s G20 summit in South Africa, which Keir Starmer is due to attend.Aid groups said such a reduction, on top of a 30% cut to the UK contribution at the previous funding round for the group three years ago, would further risk years of progress in combating the disease after Donald Trump slashed US aid.No decision has been publicly announced before the Global Fund’s “replenishment” summit, covering 2027-29, and one government official said this did not recognise the extent of the cut predicted.However, aid groups say a proposed reduction in UK funding from £1bn to £800m is being widely discussed by senior government officials
Ministry of Justice ‘has failed to file spending receipts of nearly £11bn’
The Ministry of Justice, the Whitehall department in charge of a £13bn annual budget for prisons, probation and courts across England and Wales, has failed to file spending receipts of nearly £11bn, a report has said.Tussell, the public spending analyst firm, said the government department was more than two years behind on publishing receipts for multimillion pound contracts, weakening scrutiny around public money.The last time the government department filed receipts from its suppliers was May 2023, Tussell said. The industry standard is to allow leeway of two months to publish receipts.A spokesperson for Tussell said: “This gap in publication is deeply concerning and highlights that the government is failing to meet its own transparency standards
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