The trust crisis in education and the role of AI

Mar 30, 2026

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What happens when students start trusting AI more than their teachers?

In this episode of Education Futures, Svenia Busson speaks with Mary Burns, researcher at the Brookings Institution and co-author of the report “A New Direction for Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect.”

With over 40 years of experience in education — from classroom teaching to advising ministries of education across more than 100 countries — Mary brings a rare, global perspective on how AI is reshaping learning systems.

In this episode, we explore:

• The “web of distrust” emerging in education systems

• Why students may begin to trust AI more than teachers

• The risks of cognitive, emotional, and social offloading to AI

• Why AI feels more reliable, neutral, and emotionally safe than humans

• The rise of teacher over-reliance on AI — an under-discussed risk

• Why AI literacy must be holistic (not just tool usage)

• The dangers of sycophantic AI systems and emotional attachment

• The growing gap between AI adoption and regulation

A key framework from the episode:

Mary co-authored a major report proposing a 3-pillar framework for AI in education:

👉 Prosper, Prepare, Protect

• Prosper: Use AI to improve learning and opportunity

• Prepare: Equip students, teachers, and systems to use AI responsibly

• Protect: Safeguard learners from risks (cognitive, emotional, data-related)

📄 Read the full report:

Brookings Institution – A New Direction for Students in an AI World

https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/A-New-Direction-for-Students-in-an-AI-World-FULL-REPORT.pdf

Distance education for teacher training: modes, models and methods - http://go.edc.org/07xd

Read "eyes wide open" the chapter Mary wrote in "Que educação nos exige – hoje − o porvir? Se não agora, quando. Universidade de Lisboa: Centro de investigação e de estudos em belas-artes, p. 50-69"

English version here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fac2fdb0da84a28cc76b714/t/67b56f484fc8d51dd5546fa4/1739943752612/Mary+Burns-Eyes+Wide+Open+What+We+Lose+from+Generative+AI+in+Education.pdf