The New Encyclopedia: How Kids Will Use AI in School This Year

AI is being framed as the “new encyclopedia,” transforming classrooms while raising new questions about equity and trust.

When eighth-grade teacher Ludrick Cooper first heard about AI in the classroom, he wasn’t a fan. But now, he calls it “the new encyclopedia.” For him, the shift isn’t about replacing teaching — it’s about giving students a modern way to explore knowledge, much like those thick, glossy volumes he loved as a child.

And he’s not alone. A recent Gallup and Walton Family Foundation study found that six in ten teachers used an AI tool during the 2024–25 school year. That number is likely to grow, as companies like Instructure (maker of the Canvas learning platform) roll out new partnerships with OpenAI to build AI-powered tools directly into classrooms.

A Growing Presence in Schools

From “study mode” in ChatGPT to Canvas’s new LLM-Enabled Assignment feature, AI is moving beyond the experimental stage. Teachers can now tell an AI to role-play as a historical figure, guide students through assignments, and even generate customized lesson plans while tracking progress.

Some educators, like New York high school teacher Kayla Jefferson, are using AI-powered bulletin boards to help students reflect on news articles and learn from each other’s posts. Others highlight accessibility benefits: talk-to-text, text-to-speech, and similar tools that can support students with dyslexia or visual impairments.

This wave of adoption has enough momentum to reach the White House: First Lady Melania Trump recently announced the Presidential AI Challenge, encouraging K–12 students to use AI to solve community problems.

Benefits and Risks

Advocates argue AI can make lessons more engaging and personalized, while giving teachers more room to focus on human-centered learning. Stanford’s Matthew Rascoff notes that the next big step will be designing AI tools that encourage social learning, not just one-on-one interactions. After all, the best classrooms are built around shared responsibility and collaboration.

But concerns are real. The New York City Department of Education initially banned ChatGPT in schools out of fear it would fuel cheating, only to reverse the decision months later. Educators like Lauren Monaco, a veteran pre-K and kindergarten teacher, warn that leaning too heavily on AI risks turning learning into “a transactional information input-output,” stripping away the deeper thinking that makes education transformative.

There are also issues of equity and access. Wealthier districts are more likely to offer AI training for teachers, while poorer ones often struggle just to meet existing needs. That means the digital divide could widen, leaving already disadvantaged students further behind.

And the risks go beyond academics: lawsuits are already testing whether unregulated AI chat platforms may harm children’s mental health. Even in controlled environments like Canvas, the long-term effects of heavy AI use remain unknown.

The Big Question: Who Benefits?

The debate comes down to more than whether AI helps students write essays faster. It’s about what kind of learners — and citizens — schools want to cultivate.

If AI is framed as a new encyclopedia, it can serve as a launchpad for curiosity.

If it becomes a shortcut, it risks hollowing out the learning process.

If access is unequal, it may reinforce existing educational divides.

As Robin Lake of Arizona State University points out, AI is already transforming the workforce. The question isn’t whether students will encounter it, but whether schools will prepare them to use it responsibly and critically.

Conclusion

AI is no longer an optional add-on in education. It is shaping classrooms in real time — sometimes empowering, sometimes disruptive, often both at once. Teachers like Cooper and Jefferson are showing how it can be used creatively, while voices like Monaco’s remind us that human judgment, mentorship, and analysis can’t be automated.

The future of education may not hinge on whether AI is good or bad, but on how it’s woven into the social fabric of teaching. The challenge now is ensuring that every student, not just those in privileged districts, has access to the tools — and the guidance — needed to thrive in an AI-driven world.

AI Disclosure:

This article was drafted with the assistance of AI tools to organize and synthesize information from CNN’s “‘The new encyclopedia’: how some kids will use AI at school this year” by Nic F. Anderson (August 26, 2025). All facts, quotes, and figures are drawn directly from the cited report, with AI used only for structuring and phrasing. Content was reviewed and edited for accuracy.