By Sally Weale
Publication Date: 2026-04-02 05:00:00
Students using artificial intelligence are losing their critical thinking skills, according to a survey of secondary school teachers in England.
Two-thirds said they had seen the decline in children, who they said also no longer felt the need to spell due to voice-to-text technology.
“Students are losing core skills – thinking, creativity, writing and even the ability to hold a conversation,” one teacher said in the National Education Union survey.
“AI is destroying what ‘learning’ is – problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration,” said another. A third anonymous contributor added: “Children no longer feel the need to spell as voice-to-text replaces knowledge.”
The government has called for a digital revolution incorporating AI in schools, announcing plans in January to develop AI tutoring tools to provide personalized learning support to up to 450,000 disadvantaged students.
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said at the time: “AI tutoring…
