44% of Teens Intend to Have AI Do Their Schoolwork This Fall, and 60% Consider This 'Cheating'

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 08/01/23

In a survey conducted for the Junior Achievement organization in July 2023, of the 1,006 respondents between the ages of 13 and 17 who were polled, nearly half of them said they intend to use AI this fall to do their classwork for them. But most teens consider doing this to be “cheating.”

The survey was conducted by the Big Village company, drawn from the Youth CARAVAN program. It surveyed teens who volunteered to participate online from July 6–11, 2023, with 1,006 completing it and results having a margin of error of +/-3.1%.

A disturbing number of reasons for using AI to do their schoolwork for them were given by teens:

  • 62% said AI is just another tool for schoolwork.

  • 24% said they didn't like school or schoolwork.

  • 22% said people won't need to know this information because of AI.

  • 22% said everyone else is doing it.

  • 17% said they would do poorly otherwise.

  • 8% said it's not important that they know the subjects they use AI for.

Additionally, 48% of teens said “they have known friends or classmates who have used AI to do their schoolwork instead of doing it themselves,” the survey showed.

“Generative AI can be a great tool to boost productivity, but unfortunately many people, especially teens, are seeing it as a shortcut,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “The misuse of AI to do all schoolwork not only raises ethical concerns, but this behavior could also short-change many students’ educations since they may not be learning the subjects they are using AI for. Given the growing demand for marketable skills, this could become very problematic.”

Junior Achievement focuses on giving K–12 students knowledge and skills to prepare them for future career and financial success, and it also offers the JA Excellence Through Ethics program. The program’s goal is to help students “learn the importance of ethics and ethical decision making and how ethical and unethical choices affect everyone in a community,” the organization said.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Host of Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major cybersecurity advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.

  • shield with an AI microchip emblem hovering above stacks of gold coins

    Report: AI Security Spend Surges While Traditional Security Budgets Shrink

    A new report from global cybersecurity company Thales reveals that while enterprises are pouring resources into AI-specific protections, only 8% are encrypting the majority of their sensitive cloud data — leaving critical assets exposed even as AI-driven threats escalate and traditional security budgets shrink.

  • laptop on a clean desk with digital padlock icon on the screen

    Data Privacy a Top Concern as Orgs Scale Up AI Agents

    As organizations race to integrate AI agents into their cloud operations and workflows, they face a crucial reality: while enthusiasm is high, major adoption barriers remain, according to a new Cloudera report. Chief among them is the challenge of safeguarding sensitive data.

  • charts and graphs over a softly blurred academic-style background

    New Jersey School District Taps Otus, Discovery Education for Data Insights

    West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in Central New Jersey has partnered with assessment and data platform Otus and ed tech company Discovery Education to better utilize data to support student achievement.