Educators and parents are rushing to integrate artificial intelligence into classrooms, often promising that it will personalize learning and reduce busywork. However, a growing chorus of critics warns that we are making a fundamental error in how we view these tools. Instead of supporting the learning process, new evidence suggests AI might simply be replacing the mental effort required to learn.
What Happened
In a sharp critique of current educational trends, writer and professor Ferran Sáez Mateu argues that schools are falling for a "great misunderstanding." While previous technologies like calculators or glasses were designed to complete human capabilities, he contends that generative AI creates a tool that directly replaces learning.
Sáez Mateu draws a distinction between technology that facilitates understanding—like a video documentary clarifying a concept—and technology that simulates the result of understanding without the effort. He warns of a potential future where education becomes an "absurd cycle": teachers reading text generated by ChatGPT to students who unknowingly submit assignments also written by AI. In this scenario, the feedback loop—the core of education—is entirely automated, removing human critical thinking from both sides of the classroom desk.
The Bigger Picture
Research backs up the fear that AI is shifting from a helpful assistant to a cognitive crutch. Psychologists call this "cognitive offloading," where students use external tools to reduce mental effort. While offloading can save time, it creates a risk of cognitive overload and erodes the introspection necessary for deep problem-solving. If a student relies on an algorithm to do the thinking, they may lose the ability to navigate complex problems on their own.
This stands in contrast to "scaffolding," the educational ideal where support structures help students reach higher levels of understanding before being gradually removed. Studies show that when technology is used as a scaffold, it can help over 70% of students reach abstract levels of thinking. The danger lies in confusing a tool that helps you climb (scaffolding) with an elevator that takes you to the top without effort (offloading).
Practical application of this technology is moving fast. Platforms like SchoolAI and Flint now offer AI lesson plan generators that can create comprehensive curriculum materials in minutes. While these tools promise to strengthen classroom feedback loops, they also make it easier for educators to automate the feedback process.
Simultaneously, students are using these tools to polish their work. A synthesis of recent evidence found that while AI significantly improves the technical quality of student writing—fixing spelling, grammar, and coherence—it leads to diminished metacognitive engagement. The work looks better, but the student thinks less.
What This Means for Families
The immediate implication for parents is that grades may become a deceptive metric. A student using AI might bring home assignments with perfect spelling and excellent structure, yet have less understanding of the material than a student who struggled through a rougher draft.
If schools adopt the "absurd cycle" Sáez Mateu warns against, where AI generates lessons and AI grades assignments, parents may see reduced stress and fewer errors on report cards. However, this administrative efficiency comes at the cost of critical digital literacy and genuine resilience. The struggle to formulate a sentence or solve a problem is not an obstacle to learning; it is the learning itself.
What You Can Do
- Focus on the Process: Don't just look at the final grade or essay. Ask your child to explain their drafting process or defend their arguments verbally to ensure they understand the content.
- Check the Policy: Ask your school specifically how they use AI for grading. Ensure there is a "human in the loop" reviewing your child's work, rather than just an automated system.
- Distinguish Tools: Encourage the use of AI for "scaffolding" (brainstorming, explaining difficult concepts) but discourage "offloading" (writing the essay, solving the math problem).