Tutor or cheatbot? You can't get Search without AI, says Google

Putting a Chromebook or iPad on every desk was a huge mistake, argues Brian Fitzpatrick. Take away the distraction devices and bring back computer labs or a computer cart wheeled into the classroom for special projects and then wheeled out.

U.S. high schools can't resist the temptation to "scroll social media, play video games, chat with friends and AI, and watch YouTube videos," he discovered in researching a new Fordham report.

"Six out of 10 students say they spend the majority of class on a school-issued device, and nearly a third report spending more than three-quarters of class on such a device," the survey found. "Students report accessing AI, video games, and YouTube in school primarily through school-issued devices."

Google is giving schools a hard choice, reports Grace Jiang on Education Week. If schools pass strict AI bans, students won't be able to use Google Search. "Search and AI are deeply integrated," said Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and education manager.

Few think teachers will be able to redesign lessons to work without the ability to search for information. Many said Google was "bullying" schools into accepting AI.

The company claims that updates to Search "make it better for learning" and harder to cheat. For example, AI Mode and AI Overviews offer “step-by-step guided learning through problems” rather than just answers.

Many are dubious, Jiang writes. Common Sense Media reported in July "that Google’s AI Mode, a chatbot-style search feature, produced full answers to all 180 homework assignments its testers tried."

Google says its Gemini chatbot will have a AI-driven Guided Learning feature, now being piloted, that is designed to function as a tutor or study assistant. The website proclaims: "Guided Learning encourages participation through probing and open-ended questions that spark a discussion and provide an opportunity to dive deeper into a subject. The aim is to help you build a deep understanding instead of just getting answers."

A New York Times' test of the consumer version of Guided Learning showed it can "enable cheating," report Dana Goldstein and Natasha Singer. "It produced a detailed essay in response to an Advanced Placement history prompt."

Common Sense Media also found the version of Guided Learning launched last year "will complete homework assignments and essays, and the boundary between ‘helping’ and ‘doing the work’ is often unclear.”

The version designed for Google Classroom, which could be rolled out in January, is supposed to make cheating more challenging and learning more likely. "Teachers can assign work through Guided Learning and review student chats to see how students approach problems and what questions they ask," notes Chalkbeat's Erica Meltzer.

An AI-powered tutor helped middle-school students who used it to practice solving problems, writes Hechinger's Jill Barshay. But only a small percentage of students used it for the recommended 30 minutes a week, the study reported.

The same researcher, Jing Liu of the University of Maryland, found very different results in a study of college students, she notes. The availability of "an AI assistant undermined college students’ engagement and hurt their grades."