Pupils struggle to spot untrue AI content - report

Eight out of 10 teenagers said they were using AI for schoolwork

The vast majority of teenagers use artificial intelligence in their schoolwork but many struggle to spot misinformation, a report has suggested.

More than 2,000 pupils aged 13 to 18 were asked by Oxford University Press (OUP) how they regarded AI.

Just over half said it was difficult to tell whether content was true.

The OUP said worried students were turning to teachers for help, but a third felt their tutors were not confident in using AI tools.

Assistant headteacher Dan Williams, from Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield, said most pupils at his school were using AI for homework or revision.

He said: "Some are using it really effectively and are using it as a personal tutor and getting that help.

"But many are copying and pasting from the AI.

"They do not yet have that bank of knowledge and experience to test whether something is correct or not."

Mr Williams, the school's AI lead, said even he struggled to spot AI-generated people in videos.

Dr Alexandra Tomescu from OUP said some pupils reported learning skills from AI

Eight out of 10 teenagers in the survey said they used AI for schoolwork, OUP reported.

Nearly a third told researchers they could not tell whether AI content was true while a further fifth was unsure.

However, Dr Alexandra Tomescu from OUP said pupils also praised the technology.

She said: "We hear a lot about how AI is all doom and gloom and how it's going to make young people very dependent on it.

"But when asked, actually nine out of 10 students have said that they have benefitted from AI, especially in skill development."

She said pupils cited problem-solving, creative writing and critical thinking as skills they had learned.

OUP said it had launched an AI and Education Site to help teachers boost their AI skills.

The Department for Education has also published a range of resources to advise schools on how to use AI safely.