Recent data reveals that global attainment levels in the core academic disciplines of literacy, numeracy and science have had a marked decline. Many have speculated that AI could be to blame. This piece will address the current state of research about the degree to which AI educational tools are negatively impacting student attainment and what parents can do to offset these impacts.

This article will also draw on my own experiences as a tutor  and my many interactions with parents who are concerned about their children’s academic performance. I receive questions regularly on how parents should introduce AI to their children, what limits may be needed and how to best adapt their education as the technology changes. There are continuous pressures on parents to find a technological edge for their children’s education. However, it is important to not treat AI as a tool which has authority over  parents, educators and students. AI is a tool that should be integrated within a system of educator-led and data-backed approaches to learning. A key takeaway will be that learning the ‘hard way’ is even more necessary as the role of ed-tech in education continues to expand.