65% of educators think AI can save them time on admin tasks, a new study finds

A recent study by education specialist McGraw Hill, in collaboration with Morning Consult, surveyed 1,000 K-12 grade and higher education professionals across 19 countries to examine the impact of generative AI on education. The research revealed a shift in attitudes towards AI, with a majority of educators now recognizing its positive influence on educational outcomes.

According to the findings, 41% of educators believe that AI has a mainly positive impact on education, compared to 19% who hold a negative view. Specifically, AI is seen as beneficial in reducing the time educators spend on administrative tasks (65%) and enhancing personalized learning for students (63%).

AI tools, such as AI chatbots like ChatGPT, are gaining popularity among educators for creating personalized educational content. By inputting lesson plans and seeking AI recommendations to tailor content to individual student needs, educators can enhance engagement and learning outcomes.

The study also highlighted the increasing adoption of AI in educational workflows, with 32% of educators currently using AI, and a significant portion either planning to integrate AI in the next year (63%) or in the future (80%). However, concerns remain regarding the potential negative impacts of AI on academic integrity, critical thinking, memory retention, and social skills.

Notably, higher education professionals expressed higher levels of concern (68%) regarding AI’s impact on academic integrity. Key obstacles to AI adoption identified in the survey include costs (47%), limited time for training educators on AI application (38%), and data privacy concerns (34%).

To address these challenges and promote AI literacy among educators, initiatives like Google and MIT RAISE’s two-hour free generative AI course for teachers are being launched to empower professionals with the skills to effectively utilize AI in educational settings. Overall, the study suggests a growing acceptance and integration of AI technologies in education, despite lingering apprehensions and barriers to implementation.