“ChatGPT Did My Homework”But at What Cost?

The Hidden Downside of AI on High Schoolers

Our intern, Adya Mishra, who enjoys leveraging digital technologies and doing health research in her spare time, was motivated by her own experience and those of her classmates to create this blog on the dangers that AI have on high schoolers. 

Imagine this. You walk into class, assignment in hand. You didn’t pull an all-nighter. You didn’t even read the prompt. ChatGPT did it for you – polished, articulate, and ready to turn in.

You feel clever. Efficient. Maybe even ahead of the game.

But deep down… you know you didn’t actually do anything. You didn’t actually understand the assignment. Honestly, you don’t have the slightest idea what the assignment is based on.

That tiny flicker of guilt? That’s not just your conscience – it’s your brain slowly stepping out of the learning process.

We’re living in the age of artificial intelligence, where asking a chatbot can feel easier than asking your teacher – and sometimes, it is. But easy doesn’t always mean better.

In fact, the more we rely on AI, the more we risk losing something way more important than a good grade: our motivation, creativity, and drive to think for ourselves. Artificial Intelligence isn’t just a buzzword in tech circles anymore; it’s sitting right next to students in class, whispering answers and doing their homework for them.

Sounds like a dream, right?

But what if this dream is actually kind of a nightmare?

The Laziness Loop: “Why Think When AI Can Do It?”

Let’s be real: tools like ChatGPT, Socratic, and QuillBot make life so much easier. You can feed in your essay prompt and – boom! – out comes a five-paragraph masterpiece. But here’s the catch: when you let AI do the thinking for you, you’re not actually learning anything.

According to a national survey conducted by Tyton Partners in 2023, 27% of students reported being regular users of generative AI tools, compared to just 9% of instructors. This disparity suggests that students are adopting AI tools at a much higher rate than their teachers, potentially leading to a disconnect in educational approaches.

To dig deeper, I ran my own survey with 50 high schoolers in my district randomly selected. The results were… intense:

• 70% said they use AI for homework daily.
  
  
• 66.7% admitted that AI helps cut corners and cheat easily.
  
  
• 63.3% felt as if their ability to think critically and problem solve has decreased.
  
  
• 73.3% claimed to use AI on an assignment without even attempting to understand the material.

A Friend’s Story: “It Took the Motivation Out of Me”

This isn’t just numbers on a graph. It’s affecting real people.

I talked to one of my close friends – a junior at my school – who opened up about how using AI changed the way she saw learning:

“At first it felt like a hack – like I’d finally found something to make life easier. But the more I used ChatGPT, the less I wanted to do the work myself. Eventually, I stopped even trying. I’d just copy, paste, submit. It made me feel lazy, and honestly, kind of empty.”

Her grades didn’t drop – but her motivation and confidence did. And that’s not something AI can fix.

Critical Thinking is on Snooze Mode

When was the last time you read a full chapter of a book without Googling a summary? AI has made us masters at shortcutting, but it’s also killing our ability to analyze, reflect, and wrestle with ideas.

As highlighted by the Christensen Institute, introducing tools like ChatGPT to emerging writers may hinder the development of essential skills, such as structuring their writing. This reliance on AI can prevent students from engaging deeply with the material and developing their own analytical abilities.

Replacing People with Prompts

There’s also a social side to learning. Asking a friend or teacher for help used to be normal. Now? Most students just type the question into an AI tool and move on.

But learning isn’t supposed to be a solo act.

According to Education Week, more than two-thirds of teachers and school and district leaders – 69% –expect that AI will have a negative impact on teens’ mental health over the next decade. This concern stems from the potential reduction in human interaction and the overreliance on AI for support.

Academic Integrity is Getting Blurred

Let’s not sugarcoat it: using AI to do your assignments is a form of cheating – especially when you copy-paste entire essays or code without understanding it.

A Pew Research Center survey found that a quarter of public K-12 teachers say using AI tools in education does more harm than good. This skepticism reflects concerns about academic integrity and the authenticity of student work in the age of AI. Many schools and colleges have implemented policies that penalize the use of any AI generated work.

Real Talk: AI isn’t Evil – But it is a Tool

Don’t get me wrong – AI isn’t out to destroy education. It’s just a tool. But like any tool, it’s all about how you use it.

Use AI to support your learning, not to replace your brain. Think of it like a GPS: it helps you find your way, but if you rely on it too much, you’ll never actually learn the map.

The next time you’re tempted to let ChatGPT write your essay, pause and ask yourself:

“Am I learning – or just surviving?”

So, What’s Actually Happening?

• AI is making students more dependent: Students are increasingly relying on AI tools to complete assignments, reducing their engagement with the actual learning process.
  
• Critical thinking and creativity are suffering: Overuse of AI is limiting students’ ability to think independently and develop original ideas.
  
• Motivation and mental health are taking a hit: Easy access to AI-generated answers is lowering students’ drive to learn and contributing to feelings of isolation and disconnection.
  
  

Academic dishonesty is rising fast: More students are submitting AI-generated work as their own, leading to a surge in cheating and plagiarism concerns.

What Can Be Done?

More policies and guidance need to be developed for school systems to offer pathways for educators, school district administrators, and students to engage with AI responsibly, ethically, and safely.

According to the State of Washington’s School of Public Instruction, “Uses of AI should always start with human inquiry and always end with human reflection, human insight, and human empowerment.”

NOT cheating, dependence and disconnection.