OECD Reveals Massive AI Boom Among Students

August 7, 2026 | 06:56 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - There's a growing trend of artificial intelligence (AI) use among students, with the majority looking to AI for learning and creative tasks, according to Luis Francisco Vargas-Madriz, an analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Many of these students, according to him, lack the discernment while using the technology.

"The figures are striking. Recent polls and surveys show that 88 percent of young teenagers aged 13–15 use AI daily for creative tasks and learning," said Fran at the Apple Education Experience event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, August 6, 2026.

According to Fran, the AI adoption rate reaches 96 percent among older students.

He noted that the greater challenge is no longer AI adoption itself, but rather students' limited understanding of how to use the tech critically. Many students lack the skills to evaluate AI-generated outputs or to grasp that AI systems are not entirely neutral.

Few students are actually taught how to use these tools. "They do not necessarily know how to evaluate AI results, recognize bias, or realize that AI tools are not neutral," he said.

The OECD analyst believed the greatest opportunity for today's education system lies in strengthening education regarding AI usage, rather than simply keeping pace with high adoption rates. He maintained that AI has opened up significant opportunities for education, particularly in fostering critical thinking skills.

The benefits of technology are determined not only by its sophistication but also by how learners interact with it. At the same event, Fran noted that learning outcomes are also shaped by research into how humans use technology. Therefore, he argued, students should be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills, "instead of simply relying on AI to complete assignments," he said.

Read: UNESCO Launches Free Global AI Ethics Course in Indonesian

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