Young voices seek critical approach to AI in classrooms
Consensus favours critical understanding over blanket bans.
In Houston, more than 200 students from across the US gathered to discuss the future of AI in schools. The event, organised by the Close Up Foundation and Stanford University’s Deliberative Democracy Lab, brought together participants from 39 schools in 19 states.
Students debated whether AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini support or undermine learning. Many argued that schools are introducing powerful systems before pupils develop core critical thinking skills.
Participants did not call for a total ban or full embrace of AI. Instead, they urged schools to delay exposure for younger pupils and introduce clearer classroom policies that distinguish between support and substitution.
After returning to Honolulu, a student from ʻIolani School said Hawaiʻi schools should involve students directly in AI policy decisions. In Honolulu and beyond, he argued that structured dialogue can help schools balance innovation with cognitive development.
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