“The Question Isn’t Whether Students Use AI. It’s Whether They’re Still Learning.”Devyani Jaipuria
A few years ago, if a child came home struggling with an assignment, the first instinct was to ask a parent, an older sibling or perhaps a teacher the next day. Today, that instinct is often to ask Artificial Intelligence.
That, in itself, isn’t necessarily a problem. The real question is whether students are still doing the thinking, or whether AI is beginning to think for them.
This is perhaps the biggest shift education is grappling with today. Artificial Intelligence has changed not only how students access information, but also how they interact with learning itself. It can write essays, solve mathematical problems, generate presentations and even explain complex concepts in seconds. For educators, the challenge is no longer about keeping AI out of classrooms. It is about ensuring that learning doesn’t quietly disappear from them.
For generations, education has relied on practice. We learn to read by reading. We learn mathematics by solving problems. We learn to write by writing. Repetition is not merely about improving performance; it is how the brain builds understanding, confidence and judgement. When that process is replaced entirely by AI-generated answers, students may complete an assignment, but they risk missing the learning that assignment was meant to create.
This doesn’t make Artificial Intelligence the problem. In many ways, it is one of the most powerful learning tools available today. It can help students organise their thoughts, explore different perspectives, simplify difficult concepts and even encourage curiosity. Used well, it can enrich learning. Used carelessly, it can replace it.
That is why I believe the conversation around AI in education cannot begin with the question, ‘Should students use AI?’ That debate is already behind us.
A more meaningful question is: How do we ensure AI complements a student’s thinking instead of substituting it?
The answer cannot rest with schools alone. Parents, educators, policymakers and technology platforms all have a role to play in creating healthy habits around AI. More importantly, schools need to rethink what they reward.
If students know that every assessment can be completed by an AI tool, we should not be surprised when many choose that path. Instead, classrooms must increasingly create opportunities for learning that cannot simply be generated with a prompt. Discussions, debates, presentations, collaborative projects, reflective writing and problem-solving exercises require students to think, articulate ideas and engage with one another. These experiences build skills that extend far beyond academic performance.
Teachers will be central to this transition. During the pandemic, educators demonstrated remarkable resilience by reinventing the classroom almost overnight. That same willingness to experiment will now become equally important as AI continues to evolve. Teachers should also be active participants in shaping school policies around AI because they understand better than anyone how children learn.
Perhaps AI is also inviting us to ask a much older question: What is the purpose of education?
If education is only about arriving at the right answer, AI will always do it faster. But if education is about nurturing judgement, curiosity, creativity, empathy and the confidence to think independently, then the role of schools becomes even more important than before.
The future of education will not be defined by how successfully schools keep Artificial Intelligence out of the classroom. It will be defined by how thoughtfully they teach children to use it with integrity, discernment and curiosity.
Because long after today’s AI tools have evolved into something new, those qualities will continue to matter.
Devyani Jaipuria serves as the Pro Vice Chairperson of DPS Sector 45 and DPS International Gurgaon.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETEDUCATION does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETEDUCATION will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.
