An NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll finds most Americans think AI is doing more harm than good in schools. Is scepticism catching up to real problems, or running ahead of the evidence?
Many say kids learn better without it, even as daily AI use keeps climbing among adults themselves. The findings land as school districts face pressure to write AI policies from scratch, with little consensus yet on what beneficial classroom use looks like.
What happened
A new NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll found most U.S. adults believe AI is doing more harm than good in schools, with many saying students learn better without it — even as AI tool usage keeps rising in everyday life.
Why people disagree
Critics worry AI enables shortcuts that erode critical thinking, writing, and problem-solving skills before they are fully formed. Supporters argue that with guardrails, AI can personalize learning and free teachers for higher-value instruction, and that resistance reflects unfamiliarity more than evidence of harm.
What's still unclear
Whether public skepticism is based on measured classroom outcomes or general anxiety about AI, since the poll captures sentiment rather than actual learning results.
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