Faster homework, poorer exam results: What AI is doing to students’ learning

By Zoila Palma:  Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of the classroom experience, changing how students’ complete assignments, study and access information.

While AI tools can make schoolwork faster and provide students with instant explanations, emerging research suggests that the technology may not always translate into better learning. The key factor appears to be how students use AI—whether they use it to understand concepts or simply allow it to do the work for them.

One of the largest studies examining the impact of generative AI followed approximately 27,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18 in China over 30 months. Researchers from Stockholm University and the University of Hong Kong examined homework performance, monthly closed-book examinations and high-stakes entrance exams across nine subjects. After students began using generative AI, their homework scores increased by 18 percent, while the average time spent completing assignments dropped by about 30 percent, from 64 minutes to 45 minutes.

However, the improvement in homework performance came with a significant concern. When students were required to complete monthly examinations without AI assistance, their scores dropped by 20 percent within six months. Their performance in high-stakes entrance examinations also declined, with the full impact becoming evident over a longer period. The findings suggest that completing assignments more efficiently does not necessarily mean students are actually retaining the knowledge or developing the skills those assignments are designed to teach.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reached similar conclusions in its Digital Education Outlook 2026. Research indicates that when generative AI is not specifically designed as a teaching tool or used within a structured learning approach, having AI complete tasks can improve students’ immediate performance without producing meaningful learning gains. Researchers have described the potential decline in students’ willingness to engage in difficult thinking as “metacognitive laziness,” raising concerns about what happens when students must work independently without technological assistance.

How students use AI appears to be just as important as whether they use it.

An Ipsos survey of 7,000 students aged 12 to 17 across seven European countries found that 56 percent use AI to obtain information, while 45 percent use it to explain terms and concepts. However, 31 percent reported using AI to provide complete solutions to assignments. Meanwhile, only 20 percent said they use AI to create personalized learning plans and track their progress, suggesting that many students are relying on AI primarily for answers rather than as a tool to strengthen independent learning.

AI is also becoming part of students’ wider lives beyond schoolwork.

The 2026 HEPI/Kortext Student Generative AI Survey of 1,054 full-time university students in the United Kingdom found that 49 percent believed AI had improved their student experience, citing benefits such as saving time, better understanding and instant personalized support.

The survey also examined loneliness, finding that 59 percent of students said AI made no difference, while 21 percent felt less lonely and 20 percent felt more lonely.

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