Back to school: Can students use AI responsibly

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly commonplace in students’ lives, concerns over academic integrity have grown. But Virginia Tech experts Amy Allen and Pamela Gilchrist say K-12 classrooms should focus less on detecting AI misuse and more on teaching students how to think critically, evaluate information, and use the tools responsibly.

Moving beyond detection

Allen, associate professor of history and social science in the School of Education, said teachers, parents, and students should approach AI with “technocuriosity,” a phrase she developed with colleague David Hicks.

“Technocuriosity encourages educators, parents, and students to approach AI with disciplined curiosity,” Allen said. “It means exploring what these tools can do, understanding what they cannot do, recognizing their biases and limitations, and making thoughtful decisions about when they genuinely support learning.”

Responsible AI integration, she said, includes knowing “when not to use AI.”

“Rather than investing most of our energy trying to catch students, we should help them develop the judgment to use AI well,” she said. “Schools have always helped students learn to navigate new technologies, from search engines to social media. AI belongs in that same conversation.”

Gilchrist, director of K-12 initiatives at Virginia Tech, said schools should still address misuse while teaching ways to use AI ethically.

“AI is a foundational skill every student should master as a tool for learning, but one that needs clear boundaries,” Gilchrist said. “Students already encounter AI through search engines, educational platforms, social media, and tools at home, so avoiding it entirely will not stop its use. The role of schools is to help students understand when AI is useful, when it is inappropriate, and how to use it without losing the ability to think independently.”

Designing assignments differently

Allen said AI tools have created an opportunity to redesign curriculum and assignments that focus less on generic summaries of material, and more on explaining reasoning, justifying decisions with evidence, and evaluating AI-generated responses alongside other sources.

“Students should first have opportunities to notice, wonder, struggle, and develop their own ideas before AI enters the conversation,” Allen said. “That preserves curiosity while allowing AI to become a scaffold that extends thinking rather than replacing it.”

Gilchrist said teachers can ask students to provide drafts, discuss their process, or complete portions of class assignments.

“The goal is not simply to catch students – it is to help them understand ownership, honesty, and why their own effort still matters,” Gilchrist said.

AI as a learning tool

Both experts said AI can be most effective when it supports learning rather than replaces it.

“We often encourage teachers to think of AI as a conversation partner or mentor rather than an answer machine,” Allen said.

Gilchrist recommends a simple framework for responsible AI use: “Ask. Check. Create. Explain.” The approach is incorporated into the Virginia Tech K-12 Innovation Lab’s programming in Alexandria, where it is used during affiliate-led STEM sessions, she said.

“Students ask AI for support, check whether the response is accurate, create their own work, and explain what they learned and how AI was used in programming sensors, robots and drones,” Gilchrist said.

As AI tools continue to evolve, both experts emphasize the importance of skills that extend beyond any single technology.

“AI becomes valuable when it helps students understand difficult concepts, practice skills, organize ideas, and receive feedback,” Gilchrist said. “It becomes a problem when it replaces reading, writing, problem solving, creativity, or genuine understanding. The measure that matters is whether a student walks away more capable and confident – not whether the tool was used at all.”

By Virginia Tech for Newswise via The Gayly online. 8/19/26 @ 11:05 a.m. CST.