Marketplace All-in-One What do students lose when they rely on AI for homework?
Mar 23, 2026
Heather Schwartz, co-director of the American Youth Panel at RAND who studies education policy and youth experiences, discusses how students use AI for homework. She explores how AI can replace cognitive struggle and create short-term gains but potential long-term learning loss. The conversation covers workforce implications and strategies like AI-free classroom time to protect students' first-draft thinking.
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Parent Watches Child Outsource Math To ChatGPT
- Heather Schwartz describes her 13-year-old daughter using ChatGPT to solve math by taking a picture of the problem.
- The AI produced a full, elegant solution, turning the child into a passive consumer instead of working through the logic herself.
AI Can Create Performance Gains That Collapse Without It
- Students using AI show short-term gains while they have access but perform worse on assessments once AI is removed.
- RAND study evidence suggests AI can become a crutch that undermines retained learning when support is withdrawn.
Only Introduce AI After Students Produce First Drafts
- Protect first-draft thinking by using AI only after students produce their own initial work.
- Sequence AI into learning after teacher-led synthesis so students exercise the full set of cognitive skills first.