AI Is Demolishing Education? A Brain Scientist’s Take on Rebuilding Learning in the AI Era

Education is at a crossroads. As AI tools sweep through classrooms, they are not just changing how students complete their homework, they are forcing us to confront a deeper question: What is education really for?

I recently read an article by Ashanty Rosario, a high school senior in New York, titled “I’m a High Schooler. AI Is Demolishing My Education.” Her words are a wake-up call, highlighting long-standing issues in educational design, not just those related to AI.

Summary of “I’m a High Schooler. AI Is Demolishing My Education” by Ashanty Rosario

Ashanty Rosario’s viral article, published in The Atlantic (September 3, 2025), critically examines the impact of generative AI on secondary education through the lens of her personal experience as a senior at a New York public high school. Rosario argues that AI has profoundly altered classroom dynamics, undermining critical thinking, collective student experience, and the development of intellectual discipline.

Rosario describes how AI tools have become pervasive in her school environment, from instant annotations of literature texts to automated solutions for math problems. Rosario criticises the convenience offered by AI technologies, arguing that they flatten reflective discussion and erode the urgency previously associated with academic deadlines. The widespread adoption of AI, she suggests, has led many students to prioritise efficiency and grades over genuine engagement and personal growth.

The article also explores the challenges that schools face in mitigating AI misuse. Rosario notes the use of plagiarism detection systems, proctoring software, and screen-monitoring tools but observes that students often bypass these measures with “AI humanisers” or manual edits to outputs. She believes such circumvention signifies a broader cultural trend towards the outsourcing of human thought.

Rosario extends her critique to extracurricular spaces such as debate competitions, where AI-generated arguments have diluted the intellectual rigor that once characterised the activity. She warns that the normalisation of AI dependency risks producing a generation that lacks the resilience, creativity, and critical competencies required for real-world problem-solving.

Despite her concerns, Rosario acknowledges that AI can support learning when used responsibly, for instance, as a study aid or for self-learning. She concludes by calling for educational reform that promotes originality and deep thinking. Suggested strategies include oral assessments, portfolio-based grading, and reflective exercises that require students to articulate their own reasoning processes. As Rosario argues, such approaches would cultivate integrity, creativity, and independent thought, which are essential qualities for thriving beyond the classroom.

Opinion: The Deeper Problem

Is learning still joyful?

Learning was once about discovery and the thrill of figuring things out. Today, for many students, it feels like just another checkbox on a to-do list. AI did not create this problem, in fact, long before AI, students were already distracted in class and cheating in exams. But AI had made the shortcuts faster and easier, further accelerating these problems, making it impossible to ignore.

The real issue is not AI, but an education system built on memorisation, deadlines, and grades. When school is designed to reward results over growth, students learn because they have to, not because they want to. AI simply makes this gap visible.

From a brain science perspective, this is critical. Effortful learning is what strengthens neural pathways and builds memory. We want our students to struggle through problems, make mistakes, test and explore ideas. Shared struggle even helps shape identity and character. When AI shortcuts replace this process, we rob students of the natural reward and satisfaction that comes from working through challenges and arriving at insight — intrinsic motivation.

If we keep outsourcing thinking, we risk raising a generation that can produce answers but cannot generate original ideas. They will be less resilient under stress, less able to connect the dots in novel situations, and more likely to freeze when there’s no AI to lean on. (Read more about overreliant on AI in Otti’s Whitepaper: Rethinking Intelligence for the AI Era)

The Way Forward

AI is not the end of education, but an invitation to rebuild it. If AI can write essays, solve mathematical equations, or summarise chapters faster than a student, then perhaps we have been measuring the wrong things all along.

The future of education will not be about who can memorise most, but who can think deepest. It will not be about producing correct answers, but about asking bold questions. In a world that needs creative problem-solvers, we cannot afford to train passive consumers of information.

The question is no longer “How do we stop students from using AI?” but “How do we make education worth showing up for in the age of AI?” More AI detectors or surveillance tools won’t fix the problem if we don’t solve the core issue of making learning a meaningful experience.

We need classrooms that are alive with dialogue, where students wrestle with ideas, debate one another, and explore their own thinking in real time. We need teachers who are less answer-givers and more mentors and co-explorers. We need systems that ignite curiosity and encourage deep thinking. 

Here’s where we can start:

• Shift from outcome-oriented to purpose-oriented education. Focus on meaning, not just grades.

• Redesign assessments to focus on process, not just results. Use oral exams, portfolios, project-based work, and reflective journals where students must show their reasoning process.

• Teach AI fluency so students use AI as a thinking partner. Teach students the right way of using AI, instead of outsourcing their thinking to AI.

• Train teachers to ensure they have the knowledge and ability to design and facilitate AI-resistant, high-engagement learning experiences. 

Yes, AI is disrupting education. It can be a threat, but it can also be an opportunity. In my view, AI actually pushes us to break the boundaries. It forces us to ask hard questions about why and how we teach. If we seize this moment, we can rebuild education into something that sparks curiosity, resilience, and joy.

AI has exposed the cracks. Now we have the chance to create something better. Will we act on it?

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Published on: 22 September 2025

Written by:  CHANG Yin Jue

© 2025 Centre of Applied Metacognition (CAM)