4 Keys to Exploring AI in Education

As part of its recent "Reimagine Education" 2024 conference, Microsoft Education released its "AI in Education" special report containing research insights, resources, and recommendations for tapping into the advantages — and caveats — of using AI.

While the report acknowledges AI's advantages and utility for students, teachers, administrators, and IT professionals, it also emphasizes "we're just beginning to understand the future of AI in education" and the need to address current and future challenges of AI responsibility, trust, and transparency.

The report is divided into four key takeaways:

Start AI conversations today: According to a Microsoft survey of 1,800 K-12 and higher education students, educators, and academic and IT leaders, while the majority of respondents have used AI in school at least once or twice to "enhance productivity, personalize learning, and improve efficiency," a significant portion (24% of leaders, 42% of educators, and 52% of students) cite plagiarism as the top concern about using it. Recommendations from the report include:

  • Talk to students about how they can use AI without compromising academic integrity;
  • Create clear guidelines and policies; and
  • Include AI literacy in class instruction and staff training.

Learn how AI can help: Institutions are seeing over a threefold return on their investment within two years of AI adoption, reported a March 2024 IDC study, but there is a need for a coordinated adoption strategy aligned with institutional objectives. Recommendations in this area include:

  • Appoint an oversight committee to define strategy;
  • Create a "centralized, cross-functional team" to align AI adoption with existing policies; and
  • "Prioritize high-value, low complexity AI use cases" to pace adoption and use of AI and plan for solutions as needs arise.

Explore new ways to learn: In a randomized experiment on large language models and education, Microsoft Research and Harsh Kumar from the University of Toronto found that AI tools that offer tutoring and encourage engagement rather than simply giving answers work best, especially when students attempt to solve problems on their own before consulting the AI. Recommendations in this area include:

  • Foster a "growth mindset" of "learning, iteration, and curiosity;"
  • Talk to others using AI in education to get ideas and support; and
  • Focus on goals in preparing AI tools and how AI might help achieve them.

Prepare for the future: Microsoft's 2023 Work Trend Index survey found that 82% of business leaders believe employees will need new AI skills for their careers, with the top skill being "analytical judgment" about AI outputs, followed by people skills. Recommendations in this area include:

  • Educate students in "metacognitive skills," i.e., the ability to understand why they agree or disagree with an AI's output;
  • Use AI tools to "encourage evaluation rather than provide answers" and to know when to delve deeper; and
  • Develop "human-centered skills," as businesses value them in addition to tech skills.

The full AI in Education report can be downloaded here.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation in Education

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education, from preschool through higher education.

  • figures sitting around a round table, discussing over an open book, papers, and glasses

    Alliance for Learning Innovation, Digital Promise Form National Education R&D Advisory Committee

    The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) and Digital Promise are bringing together a coalition of education leaders to help develop a national education research and development agenda and foster innovation in schools and districts across the country.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.