In the UK, schoolchildren are rapidly losing critical thinking skills due to AI

Educators complain that students no longer see the point in mastering basic skills, such as competent writing, shifting problem-solving tasks onto neural networks.

"Students are losing basic skills - the ability to think, creativity, writing, even the ability to hold a conversation," The Guardian cites a comment from one of the teachers in the NEU survey.

The survey, which involved 9,000 teachers from state schools in England, also showed that the situation is exacerbated by a complete lack of a regulatory framework: 49% of schools do not have an internal policy regulating the use of AI by both staff and students, and 66% do not have special rules for pupils.

Of all respondents, 49% said they oppose the government's plan to use AI as tutors, and only 14% agreed with it. Many fear that this will be used to cut costs and undermine the value of teaching skills. "Students who need tutors often require more than just academic support. AI cannot provide them with that," said one respondent.

Paradoxically, teachers themselves are increasingly relying on AI in their daily work - their share has grown from 53% last year to 76% now. Neural networks are mainly used for creating teaching materials (61%), lesson planning (41%), and administrative work (38%).

NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede clarifies: "Students must be able to think independently. This is the heart of learning, but our survey shows that reliance on AI is affecting students' ability to think critically. The professional community is far from convinced that AI tutors are a magic bullet to close the opportunity gap for pupils from disadvantaged families. The government is taking a risk by introducing AI tutors before its impact has been properly studied."