{"slug": "ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped", "title": "AI Boosted Homework Scores, Then Exam Scores Dropped", "summary": "A study of 27,000 pupils aged 12-18 in China found that students using AI models such as Doubao and DeepSeek saw their average homework scores rise by 18% and homework time fall from 64 to 45 minutes, but their exam scores were 20% below classmates who did not use AI. The research, conducted by David Stromberg of Stockholm University and Victor Lei and Wu Yanhui of the University of Hong Kong, suggests that AI can boost learning productivity only when used intelligently, and students must resist relying on AI-generated answers without thinking for themselves.", "body_md": "An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Economist: Students and school children are increasingly using artificial intelligence. A survey last year by Chegg, an ed-tech firm, found that 80% of rich-world undergraduates used it in their studies. More recent polls put the figure at 94% in Britain and 93% in Germany. Such widespread adoption has fueled concerns about the impact the technology might be having on learning. Teachers report marking identikit essays that they suspect are churned out by ChatGPT. Yet firm evidence on AI's educational effects has been lacking.\nDavid Stromberg of Stockholm University and Victor Lei and Wu Yanhui of the University of Hong Kong set out to fill the gap. They tracked 27,000 pupils aged 12-18 in China, where AI adoption has been fast. Around 80% reported using models such as Doubao and DeepSeek; the other 20% formed the control group.\nThe results are eye-opening. After six months, pupils using AI saw their average homework score rise by 18% across all subjects. The time they took to complete each assignment fell from an average of 64 minutes to 45. But come exam time, the same students scored 20% below their classmates who had not called on AI's help. Homework scores once predicted exam performance; now those who score highest are, perversely, more likely to do worse in exams. The takeaway: \"AI can boost learning productivity, but only for those who use the technology intelligently,\" reports The Economist. \"Students must resist the temptation to reach for an AI-generated answer before thinking things through for themselves.\"[Read more of this story](https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/08/21/1951227/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed) at Slashdot.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped", "canonical_source": "https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/08/21/1951227/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed", "published_at": "2026-08-21 20:00:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-22 02:42:27.140233+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Chegg", "David Stromberg", "Stockholm University", "Victor Lei", "Wu Yanhui", "University of Hong Kong", "Doubao", "DeepSeek"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ai-boosted-homework-scores-then-exam-scores-dropped.jsonld"}}