The Logic’s readers are split on whether artificial intelligence tools should be integrated into K-12 education in Canada, despite the majority agreeing that today’s students will need to use AI in the future. 

The federal government’s national AI strategy focuses on building an AI generation “from classrooms to careers.” To do this, the strategy backs AI literacy training programs, equipping students with the necessary tools to use AI ethically and responsibly in schools. To date, the federally backed Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute AI literacy program has reached around 60,000 K-12 students. 

Earlier this month, Google turned on its Gemini chatbot for some elementary and high school students using its Classroom app—a feature previously only available to students 18 and older.

Fifty per cent of respondents to The Logic’s latest subscriber survey agreed that AI tools should be integrated into K-12 curricula, while 23 per cent did not agree with the tools being introduced. Roughly 27 per cent of readers said they were unsure. 

Most readers said they were greatly (30 per cent) or somewhat (42 per cent) comfortable with AI being used in K-12 classrooms, with the remainder of subscribers either unsure (six per cent) or not at all (22 per cent) comfortable with it. 

Many readers said that while they agree AI tools should be incorporated into elementary and high school classrooms, it is a nuanced issue. “If used correctly, it can be a great individual learning tool,” wrote one reader. If not, said another reader, “it can quickly become a crutch for students.” 

Several readers said AI tools should be used to support learning, rather than serve as “a replacement for creative or critical thinking.” One reader wrote, “The goal of education is to teach someone how to learn—how to gather information, understand what is valuable versus what is noise and how to synthesize that into useful context.” Another said that while AI should be incorporated, students should still learn “how to do things the old-fashioned way,” referring to writing, grammar, math and research skills.  

Despite their hesitations, 70 per cent of respondents agreed that today’s K-12 students will need to use AI frequently in the future, with the remainder (roughly 30 per cent) saying students will need to use AI “sometimes.” No respondents said they were unsure or believed students will rarely need to use AI. 

“It’s an essential skill, just like using the internet,” wrote one reader. “Work professionals will use it. Might as well as get [students] up to speed, it’s here to stay,” said another.

Some readers said AI has the potential to enhance learning, as long as it is not overly relied on. “Those who use it as a tool are learning and working more efficiently,” said one subscriber. Another said they encouraged “teaching responsible use early on, what AI can and cannot do, [and creating] standards for teaching AI in school.”  

The possibility that AI could impede critical thinking, stunt development of writing and literary skills, and lead to overreliance on the tech were the three most common concerns from readers, each cited as a worry by more than three-quarters of respondents. Fewer than half of readers (44 per cent) said they were concerned about cheating.

“If the hard work of learning is avoided, then today’s kids will be permanently disadvantaged,” wrote one reader. “The reliance on AI is a worry to me, as during early education minds must be developed with human interactions,” another said. 

One reader pointed to other growing challenges in K-12 education, such as rising absenteeism and teachers’ weakening authority. “AI will just amplify these problems and be the scapegoat for them,” they wrote. 

It’s too soon to tell how AI is affecting the quality of education in Canada, other subscribers wrote, and that more time, research and regulation are needed to avoid potential pitfalls. “There should be an evidence-based and well-researched national framework here,” one said. “Right now, AI has not been sufficiently designed, regulated or understood to be safely used” in classrooms, wrote another.