'I just ran it through AI' — classrooms alarmed as students lose the habit of thinking

More than half of middle and high school students in Seoul have submitted AI-generated answers directly as schoolwork without modification, a new survey shows. About six in 10 students said they felt their ability to think independently had declined as a result of using AI.

According to the "2026 Seoul Student-Teacher AI Use Survey" released Monday by the Seoul chapter of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, 339 of the 635 middle and high school students who took part — 53.4 percent — said they had submitted generative AI responses as their own work at least once. Of those, 50 students, or 7.9 percent, said they did so frequently.

Some 56.9 percent of students said AI had made them feel less capable of thinking on their own, and 41.1 percent said they had felt tempted to submit AI-generated answers without any changes. The survey was conducted online from June 29 to Aug. 27 and drew responses from 920 participants in total — 635 students, including 361 middle schoolers and 274 high schoolers, and 285 teachers.

Students said they used generative AI most often for information searches and research, with 388 respondents, or 61.1 percent, selecting that option in a question allowing up to two answers. That was followed by help with school assignments at 330 (52.0 percent), checking problem solutions and explanations at 284 (44.7 percent), and satisfying general curiosity at 235 (37.0 percent). Middle schoolers tended to rely on AI most for information searches and checking problem solutions, while high schoolers most commonly cited help with school assignments.

A key concern raised by the survey was how students verify information provided by AI. Asked how they check whether AI-generated content is accurate — again with multiple answers allowed — 243 students, or 38.2 percent, said they simply search the internet again or ask a different AI tool rather than consulting a textbook or teacher. Another 70 students, or 11.0 percent, said they do not fact-check AI responses at all.

Awareness of school guidelines on AI use was also low. Some 454 students, or 71.5 percent, said they either did not know whether their school had rules on generative AI use or believed no such rules existed. Among teachers, 242 respondents — 84.8 percent — said they were entirely unfamiliar with, or had only a vague understanding of, the Ministry of Education and district office guidelines on generative AI. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education published an "AI and EdTech public education introduction and use guideline" in February.

Teachers were found to be using generative AI broadly, not only for lessons but also for administrative tasks. Notably, 64.6 percent of teacher respondents — 184 people — said they used generative AI to write student school records. Other uses included preparing lesson materials at 58.6 percent (167 teachers), translation and support for multicultural students at 39.7 percent (113), official correspondence and administrative work at 39.3 percent (112), and developing assessment questions at 35.1 percent (100).

The Seoul chapter of the union warned that students' dependence on AI could erode their critical thinking, literacy and capacity for self-directed learning. It said generative AI was enabling what it called the "outsourcing of thought" — a pattern in which students skip the process of asking their own questions, analyzing materials and expressing their own ideas because AI produces the finished product for them.

The union said it planned to call on the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to establish AI use guidelines for students and teachers, strengthen ethics education around AI, and streamline the school records and administrative workload. It added that "educational pauses and careful use of AI during classroom activities" were needed.