Your Undivided Attention AI Is Breaking Education. Rebecca Winthrop Has the Blueprint to Fix It.
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Mar 5, 2026 
Rebecca Winthrop, Director at Brookings’ Center for Universal Education and education policy researcher, shares findings from a global premortem on AI in classrooms. She discusses current AI uses by students and teachers. She warns about trust erosion, cognitive and social risks, and why calculators are a bad analogy. She outlines cautious, human-centered strategies for assessment, teacher support, and safe student-facing tools.
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Grades Pressure Students Toward AI Shortcuts
- An Ivy League freshman told Winthrop she would accept a C because she was learning, but peers using AI got As, pressuring her to consider cheating.
- That student worried she couldn't keep choosing learning over grades if graduate school required high GPAs.
AI Is Not Just An Advanced Calculator
- The calculator metaphor fails because modern AI is general purpose, can write essays, code, make art, and socially engage, making it far more seductive than calculators.
- Winthrop argues calculators didn't replace broad learning; AI can replace many domains and social feedback loops.
Social Learning Skills Are At Risk From Sycophantic AI
- Learning is inherently social and embodied; AI companions can be sycophantic and erode students' ability to take feedback and recover from mistakes.
- Winthrop warns that repeated agreeable AI interactions weaken emotional muscles needed for classroom risk-taking.
