2025 Predictions: AI's Impact on Education
What should schools and districts expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.
In an open call last month, we asked education and ed tech industry leaders for their predictions on developments in artificial intelligence for 2025. Their responses highlighted the wide variety of areas where AI could impact students, teachers, and administrators — for better or for worse. Here's what they told us.
"In 2025, a greater number of school systems will actively seek to deepen their understanding of artificial intelligence to enhance both system office and school-based operations. This strategic focus will aim at improving operational efficiencies through AI-driven analytics and automation, streamlining everything from resource allocation to student attendance and engagement tracking.
"To demystify AI and unlock its potential across educational settings, we will see a surge in 'AI 101' professional development courses for educators. These sessions will provide a fundamental understanding of AI and explore its benefits and risks within an educational framework. Such initiatives will equip educators with the knowledge to critically assess the role of AI in education and its ethical implications.
"Additionally, more educators will harness AI to refine and differentiate their instructional design, using adaptive learning technologies to tailor lessons to the varied learning styles and needs of students. This personalized approach will enable more effective teaching, catering to individual student needs at scale and fostering a more inclusive learning environment.
"Through these initiatives, school systems will enhance their operational capacities and empower educators to leverage AI in innovative ways that improve educational outcomes and operational efficiencies."
— Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, superintendent, Hartford Public Schools
"In 2025, I predict we'll see a rise in state and federal legislation around the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms. But even with the best intentions, legislators may end up inadvertently putting up barriers for tools that are actually helping students learn. It's going to be incredibly important for institutions and policymakers to truly understand the difference between generative AI tools — which may compromise the learning process or lack the proper technological safety systems to be appropriate for student use —and learning tools that incorporate safe and tested algorithms to support authentic teaching and learning workflows."
— Kelsey Behringer, CEO, Packback
"AI is revolutionizing our world and education must keep pace. As this technology becomes increasingly central to workforce, innovation, and economic opportunity, we must transform the way we prepare students for that future. All students must also be provided with the opportunity to learn how to use AI effectively, ethically, and safely."
— Andrew Flood, CEO, Prodigy Learning
"The future of AI in K-12 education is as promising as it is transformative. AI can automate administrative tasks, which means more time for our teachers to focus on instruction and student interaction. Schools will also look to AI to personalize the learning experiences, adapting to each student’s pace and style, making learning more engaging, meaningful, and effective. Educational applications now have intelligent tutoring built in to provide instant feedback, which is a game changer for the learning process. AI-driven analytics can identify learning gaps and suggest targeted interventions or differentiators for student needs, ensuring all students are appropriately supported and adequately challenged. The important crux of successful AI integration, as with most educational technology initiatives, is the integration and teachers' professional development. Overall, AI has the potential to revolutionize schools, making it more personalized, efficient, and inclusive on a path to equity in education."
— Lisa Irey, director of technology & printing services, Des Moines Public Schools
"Artificial intelligence is transforming K-12 education, reshaping how teachers support students. In 2025, we'll see educators continue to expand their use of AI in classrooms, and when it comes to literacy instruction, we'll see more reliance on tools that free up educators time while offering valuable insights to guide 1:1 instruction. Far from just a tool for automation, AI is emerging as an ally in human-centered teaching, empowering educators to focus on what matters most: nurturing student relationships and delivering high-quality instruction. By embracing AI thoughtfully, educators can enhance learning and prepare students to see AI as a tool for positive change."
— Janine Walker-Caffrey, Ed.D., chief academic officer, EPS Learning
"In 2025, as AI tools and adoption mature, I predict a shift in substance over flash in the ed tech product market. Innovative companies have been using AI for some time, and the potential is immense. Yet, in the race to seem relevant, many companies prioritized being the first — not the best — to market with educator- and student-facing AI solutions. The next phase will weed out which companies are truly leading the way with impactful, research-backed applications.
"As we move forward, ed tech companies will be forced to refine their products, aligning AI with effective teaching strategies, personalized learning paths, and improved outcomes. Rather than offering niche features, companies will need to prioritize systems that foster high-quality learning, meaningful engagement, and better educational experiences for all kids."
— Amanda Kocon, chief strategy officer, Edmentum
"AI technologies will continue to transform how teachers support students and grow professionally. Personally, tools like ChatGPT and School AI streamline feedback, helping me provide personalized guidance on student writing. Gemini and Brisk Teaching scaffold learning by adapting text complexity to students' needs, while Canva supports the creation of engaging presentations. HeyGen has improved communication with Spanish-speaking families, fostering inclusion. I've also enjoyed using AI Coach by Edthena, which allows me to engage in coaching conversations anytime without needing to schedule meetings with a physical coach. Beyond the classroom, AI aids in designing authentic learning experiences and structuring professional development sessions. These tools act as a personal assistant, maximizing the time I dedicate to students and reducing time spent on repetitive tasks."
— Joe Ackerman, 5th grade teacher, St. Vrain Valley Schools
"As AI tools get smarter, humans are getting smarter about how to use them. In 2025, we'll see more examples of AI creating efficiencies for students, educators, and education companies. AI can help students find sources. With help from AI, they'll spend less time searching for information, and more time reading and synthesizing. For educators, AI will automate time-consuming logistics so they can focus on instruction. For education companies, AI will support scalable quality improvements that will enhance the student experience.
"When generative AI came on the scene, there was (and still is) a lot of preoccupation about how it would hamper content creation. I predict that 2025 will see us focus on how AI can improve process, freeing us up to create content and generate ideas that are more informed and inspired than ever before."
— John Calvello, chief institutional officer, Tutor.com and The Princeton Review
"By 2025, students may interact with AI through diverse modalities, each suited to specific use cases. For instance, video could excel in delivering short, engaging messages that leverage visual aids for better comprehension, while voice-based interactions might work well for sustained, guided learning experiences. Text is likely to remain ideal for engaging in rich, detailed exchanges.
"AI might also alleviate key challenges for teachers, particularly time constraints. For example, AI agents could assist with lesson planning, managing administrative tasks, or acting on behalf of educators in specific scenarios, potentially saving significant time.
"As these technologies gain traction, they could shift the way AI is integrated into education. With increased adoption by teachers and students, new use cases may emerge, leading to a transformative redefinition of digital education and unlocking innovative opportunities for learning and teaching."
— Unekwu-Ojo Shaibu, learning engineering product manager, Carnegie Learning
"In 2025, we can expect generative AI to become more integrated into existing curriculum solutions to have the most impact on student outcomes and educators' workflows. Compared to standalone generative AI tools, integrated AI technology will be easy-to-use (requires little training), reduce teachers' time on administrative tasks, and provide insights that will streamline instructional planning so teachers can spend more time with students. This integration will also prompt districts and schools to adopt solutions that have a proven track record in protecting student privacy and security. In education, technology remains a powerful tool, but teaching, learning, and safety always come first."
— Bethlam Forsa, CEO, Savvas Learning Company
"AI is already being used by many educators, not just to gain efficiencies, but to make a real difference in how their students are learning. I suspect in 2025 we'll see even more educators experimenting and leveraging AI tools as they evolve — especially as more of the Gen Z population enters the teaching workforce.
"In 2024, surveyed K-12 educators reported already using AI to create personalized learning experiences, provide real-time performance feedback, and foster critical thinking skills. Not only will AI usage continue to trend up throughout 2025, I do believe it will reach new heights as more teachers begin to explore gen AI as a hyper-personalized asset to support their work in the classroom. This includes the use of AI as an official teacher's assistant (TA), helping to score free-response homework and tests and providing real-time, individualized feedback to students on their education journey."
— John Jorgenson, CMO, Cambium Learning Group
"The initial hype phase of AI will be over in 2025 — which is good news. Educators will stop feeling FOMO and start assessing AI for how it can truly support teachers and deliver better student outcomes. In 2025, educators will become more discerning about the benefits and limitations of AI. They will expect more detailed and clarifying answers about concerns like privacy — what data does your AI share with third party companies — and accuracy — how often do you test and refine your AI? This new phase of AI is exciting to me. It matters to me that educators understand that AI learns by example and if not built responsibly and ethically it can be biased and damaging for students. If AI doesn't work equally for every student, it doesn't work."
— Amelia Kelly, chief technology officer, SoapBox Labs
"With this new year, AI won’t replace human tutors, but will instead revolutionize their effectiveness through real-time coaching and support. While early AI applications focused primarily on content delivery, the next wave will be able to support human interactions and relationships. AI will help tutors by providing immediate feedback on student engagement, suggesting personalized intervention strategies, and advising tutors on how they might advance their mentoring skills. Maintaining the essential human connection at the core of effective tutoring while using AI to scale impact and ensure consistent quality will remain essential. This technology-enhanced approach to high-impact tutoring will be particularly crucial as schools continue addressing learning recovery needs while maintaining sustainable, cost-effective programs."
— Tom Fischaber, chief technology officer, Saga Education
"In the future, creativity, self-expression, and problem-solving will become more important than ever before. As AI becomes increasingly prevalent, fostering young people’s imagination and enabling them to express themselves as creators will be essential. The challenge for STEM learning broadly, and computer science specifically, will be to center that critical creative learning experience as the focus shifts even more toward skill-building. Coding is seen as a specific skill set right now, but as AI continues to evolve, the way we code will change dramatically. As these technologies transform, and the skills needed to utilize them expand, we must prioritize developing students' creativity, resilience, and problem-solving to prepare them as imaginative changemakers."
— Dr. Margaret Honey, president & CEO, Scratch Foundation
"As access to AI resources become more prevalent in classrooms, it will be crucial for educators to not only master these tools but to establish equitable practices and guidelines for effective and responsible use. The rapid pace of AI innovation demands that educators stay informed about emerging applications while remaining committed to ethical usage.
"This is particularly critical in STEM fields, where AI is transforming industries and shaping pathways to higher education and future careers. To prevent the exacerbation of the existing STEM gap, educators must prioritize equitable access to AI resources, ensuring all students have opportunities to engage with and understand these technologies.
"Achieving these goals will require educators to complete professional development programs designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge to effectively implement AI, while fostering inclusive learning environments that prepare all students for success in an AI-driven world."
— Michelle Stie, vice president, Program Design & Innovation, National Math and Science Initiative
"In 2025, tools like ChatGPT, now equipped with real-time search capabilities, will become primary gateways to information, challenging the dominance of traditional search engines. This transformation will require students to develop a new kind of digital literacy — one focused on leveraging AI for efficient information discovery rather than relying on conventional search methods. There will also be a widening the gap between early adopters who embrace AI-driven learning tools and those who don't have access to these emerging technologies or face additional barriers to learning these new technologies. Without deliberate efforts to ensure equitable access, support, and training, long-standing educational inequities will deepen. To navigate this reality, ed tech providers and institutions must prioritize inclusive strategies that help every learner develop the critical AI literacy skills needed to thrive."
— Evelyn Galindo, senior editor, Carnegie Learning
"As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, its role in education is becoming increasingly transformative. I believe we’ll see AI helping educators not just by saving time, but by enhancing their ability to understand and support students in more personalized ways. From predictive analytics that identify learning gaps early to tools that empower teachers to make data-driven decisions, AI will make education more equitable and efficient. However, this progress comes with the responsibility to prioritize student privacy and ethical use of data. By focusing on transparency and meaningful outcomes, we can navigate this next chapter of ed tech with confidence, ensuring technology amplifies the human connections at the heart of learning."
— Chris Hull, co-founder and president, Otus
"2025 predictions:
- "Multimodal AI takes center stage as generative tools will evolve beyond text — introducing audio, video, and image-based learning.
- "Expect a shift from flashy AI tutors to practical, efficiency-boosting tools that streamline administrative tasks.
- "Growing concerns over AI-driven cheating will accelerate a move toward project-based evaluations.
- "Policy and training become non-negotiable as AI is here to stay in 2025."
— Stephanie Butler, director of AI, Kiddom
"2025 will be the year for AI to be more infused in education initiatives and platforms. AI-powered solutions have reached a tipping point from being a nice-to-have to a must-have in order to deliver compelling and competitive education experiences. When we look at the education sector, the use cases are clear. From creating content like quizzes, to matching students with education courses that meet their needs, to grading huge volumes of work, enhancing coaching and guidance for students, and even collecting, analyzing, and acting on feedback from learners, there is so much value to reap from AI. Looking ahead, there could be additional applications in education for multimodal AI models, which are capable of processing and analyzing complex documents including images, tables, charts, and audio."
— Rachael Mohammed, corporate social responsibility digital offerings leader, IBM
"In the two years since gen AI was unleashed, K-12 leaders have ridden the wave of experimentation and uncertainty about the role this transformative technology should have in classrooms and districts. 2025 will see a shift toward gen AI strategy development, clear policy and governance creation, instructional integration, and guardrail setting for educators and students. K-12 districts recognize the need to upskill their teachers, not only to take advantage of gen AI to personalize learning, but also so they can teach students how to use this tech responsibly. On the back end, IT leaders will grapple with increased infrastructure demands and ever-increasing cybersecurity threats."
— Delia DeCourcy, senior strategist, Lenovo Worldwide Education Team
"The conversation around AI in education will mature from focusing solely on efficiency and tools to further emphasizing learning impact, ethics, and AI literacy. Schools will develop comprehensive approaches that not only teach responsible AI usage but also prioritize practices that enhance teaching and learning in meaningful, measurable ways. Success will be defined by how effectively technology choices support and amplify transformational learning experiences."
— Tara Nattrass, managing director of innovation strategy, ISTE+ASCD.
"This coming year, we'll see real progress in using technology, particularly gen AI, to free up teachers' time. This will enable them to focus on what they do best: working directly with students and fostering the deep connections crucial for student growth and achievement. Gen AI-powered assistants will streamline lesson planning after digesting information from a sea of assessments to provide personalized recommendations for instruction to an entire class, small groups, and individual students. The bottom line is technology that never aims to replace a teacher’s expertise — nothing ever should — but gives them back time to deepen relationships with students."
— Jack Lynch, CEO, HMH
"Gen AI and AI writing detection tools will evolve, adding advanced capabilities to match each other’s detectability flex. End users are reaching higher levels of familiarity and maturity with AI functionality, resulting in a shift in how they are leveraged.
"Savvy users will take a bookend approach, focusing on early-stage ideation, organization, and expansion of original ideas as well as late-stage refinement of ideas and writing. Coupling the use of gen AI with agentic AI applications will help to overcome current limitations, introducing multi-source analysis and adaptation capabilities to the writing process.
"Use of detection tools will improve as well, with a focus on preserving the teaching and learning process. In early stages, detection tools and indicator reports will create opportunities to focus teaching on addressing knowledge gaps and areas lacking original thought or foundation. Later stage detection will offer opportunities to strengthen the dialogue between educators and students, providing transparency that will reduce student risk and increase engagement."
— Eric Wang, VP of AI, Turnitin
"In 2025, I predict that students will move from consumers of AI and data science to creators of AI solutions. Artificial intelligence is shaping every aspect of society and it's essential we help students gain a greater understanding through the learning process.
"By integrating AI and data science into early education, we are empowering students to grasp how these technologies work, explore ethical implications, and ways to use them responsibly.
"By engaging with AI through hands-on projects — like training simple models or analyzing data — students will hone their critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity skills. Most assuredly, these students of today will also be solving some of the world’s larger problems with AI in the future.
"Ultimately, success will depend on equitable access, teacher training, and thoughtful curriculum design."
— Dr. Chad Stevens, CEO, TinkRworks
"As chatbots become more sophisticated, they're rapidly becoming a favorite among students for their interactive and personalized support, and we can expect to see them increasingly integrated into classrooms, tutoring platforms, and educational apps as educators embrace this engaging tool for learning. Additionally, AI is poised to play an even larger role in education, particularly in test preparation and course planning. By leveraging data and predictive analytics, AI-driven tools will help students and educators create more tailored and effective learning pathways, enhancing the overall educational experience."
— Brad Barton, CTO, YouScience
"Artificial intelligence in education will mature beyond its hype narrative to focus on a fundamental challenge: bridging the gap between the growing library of digital resources and their practical implementation in physical classrooms. Known as the 'last 25 feet' challenge, the focus will be on how to seamlessly integrate technology without disrupting the critical dynamics of in-person learning. Teachers need technology that allows them to maintain student attention while accessing digital resources effortlessly and securely. This means AI that works in service of the classroom environment, not the other way around. Success in 2025 will be measured not by how revolutionary the AI is, but by how seamless it becomes in supporting natural, effective teaching and learning."
— Levi Belnap, CEO, Merlyn Mind
"With the insertion of AI into classrooms and the broader public, I predict the revisit to technology based, evidence-rich, creative assessments (a la app-smashing of the late 2000s). As students learn how to harness and utilize artificial intelligence, it will be on schools to stay a step ahead in re-creating opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding and mastery at all levels in all grades. I look forward to creating technical pathways for staff as they support the scholars and communities they serve in new and innovative ways."
— Johannah Arndt, M.Ed, CETL, coordinator of elementary technology, Osseo Area Schools