# What concerns SHOULD we be discussing about using AI in Education? > Source: > Published: 2026-06-13 14:02:26+00:00 **STEM Teaching Tool #109**-- Topics: [Instruction](http://stemteachingtools.org/tgs/Instruction) [Equity](http://stemteachingtools.org/tgs/Equity) [TeachClimate](http://stemteachingtools.org/tgs/TeachClimate) ### What concerns SHOULD we be discussing about using AI in Education? **Educators** should act as[critical consumers and users of AI products and services](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10908b)in[this moment of hype and promotion](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10909b). As cultural stewards, they should help all students learn how to critically and ethically deliberate on the use of AI.**Professional Development Providers** should support teachers in the informed and responsible adoption of AI systems.**Educational Leaders** should[resist quick adoption of AI systems](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10910b)until[ethical dimensions](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10911b), risks, and problems have been investigated and resources are in place to support refusal or slow, responsible use. ### What Is The Issue? With the expanding use of different kinds of [artificial intelligence (AI) systems](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10902b) in society and [in education](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10903b), it is vital that educators and administrators stop and make time to [explore the range of social and ethical concerns posed by these technologies](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10904b). AI in Education is a quickly evolving landscape with [various promising potential benefits](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10905b), and yet [the educational and social implications are too high to not act in a deliberative and ethical manner](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10906b). [Many believe the risks of generative AI outweigh the benefits](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10946b). Students have the right to question, explore, resist, refuse, or learn how to responsibly and ethically use AI in their lives to support individual, social, and [ecological flourishing](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10907b). #### Authors: Philip Bell | JUNE 2026 ### Reflection Questions - Are you intentional and [cautious](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10951b)in how you explore, resist, or use AI? What[ethical ideas](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10952b)and[frameworks](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10953b)guide your use? - Do the tools do the disciplinary thinking *for*students, or are they designed to make them think*more*? How do you help[students to](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10954b)? Do you*always*evaluate online info*only*use tech when it advances teaching and learning? - With the [opportunities](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10955b)&[risks](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10956b)of AI, when*should*we use it?[AI bots ignore evidence. Should we trust them with science?](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10957b) ### Things To Consider There are a range of social and ethical concerns about AI to deliberate on: **Overarching Concerns about the AI Political Economy and Social Power** 1. [Significant environmental harms](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10912b) include [massive water use](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10913b), [supercharging carbon emissions](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10914b), [ecological disruptions](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10915b), [increased air pollution](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10916b), and [negative impacts](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10917b) of [quickly expanding data centers](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10918b) 2. [Profit seeking](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10919b) and [market capture motives](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10920b) of “AI in education” companies can reduce education to a for-profit commercial product 3. [Homogenization of culture, thought](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10921b), and [knowledge](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10922b) through [linguistic privileging](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10923b), [cultural bias](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10924b); [Global North data bias](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10925b); [narrowing and flattening of curriculum, assessment](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10926b), and educational goals 4. “Move Fast & Break Things” approach can jeopardize education’s social contract with the public, violate the [protective purpose of schooling](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10927b), disrupt improvement efforts & [impair social relationships](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10928b) **Harms that Occur During AI Model Development and Training** 5. [Intellectual property has been stolen for the training of AI models](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10929b) 6. [Unfair labor practices have been documented in “digital sweatshops”](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10930b) as well as [significant psychological harm](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10931b) to [AI content moderators](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10932b) 7. [“Baked-in” biased responses in AI models](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10933b) can [produce regressive and marginalizing responses](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10934b) (e.g., that are racist, sexist, xenophobic) **During Use by Students, Teachers, and Educational Leaders ** 8. [Falsehoods are promoted as true](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10935b) (i.e., [hallucinations](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10970b)) and [misinformation and disinformation are shared through AI systems](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10936b) 9. [Adverse health impacts on young people](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10937b) (e.g., impacts on mental health and youth suicide) must be considered and countered 10. [Disruption of social learning processes](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10938b), [cognition, and social development](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10971b) (e.g., offloading learning tasks onto AI systems, [diminished metacognitive engagement](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10939b), and [diminished creativity](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10940b)) 11. [Data privacy & student safety](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10941b) can be compromised; [put up a defense](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10942b) **During Use by Teachers and Educational Leaders** 12. [Deprofessionalization of teaching and ed leadership](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10943b) by offloading tasks to AI systems and diminishing the need for human expertise 13. [Encourages automation which is not a suitable replacement for human labor and jobs](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10944b); education is a fundamentally human endeavor ### Attending to Equity [Groups are exploring if AI can support educational equity](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10945b). However,[the risks of using generative AI in education currently outweigh its benefits](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10946b). We all need to[make room for ethical deliberation and informed decision-making](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10947b)about AI in education since[it is a “double-edged sword.”](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10948b)- The [negative impacts of AI use in society disproportionately impact](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10949b)and non-dominant communities[efforts are needed to promote equity](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10950b). ### Recommended Actions You Can Take **Teach Based on a Social & Ethical Analysis** - Teams of educators should engage with the 13 social and ethical concerns, reflect on them, and let it guide their teaching. - Learn [how to teach against AI](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10958b)and[how to shape a more just sociotechnical future](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10972b). [AI initiatives and products are outpacing discussion of responsible uses](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10959b).[Use expertise on how people learn](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10960b)and a[“go slow and build” approach](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10961b)to reduce harm. **Design AI Uses with Students & Teachers** [Engage students with social and ethical concerns to collaboratively make sense of responsible engagement with AI](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10963b).- Teach: [“Science and technology may raise ethical issues for which science, by itself, does not provide answers and solutions.”](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10962b) - Educators should [teach about the environmental and social impacts of AI systems](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10912b)using[ethical decision-making](http://stemteachingtools.org/link/10947b). #### ALSO SEE STEM TEACHING TOOLS [STEM Teaching Tools](https://stemteachingtools.org)content copyright 2014-22 UW [Institute for Science + Math Education](http://sciencemathpartnerships.org/). All rights reserved. This site is primarily funded by the [National Science Foundation (NSF)](http://www.nsf.gov/)through Award #1920249 (previously through Awards #1238253 and #1854059). Opinions expressed are not those of any funding agency. Work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Others may adapt with attribution. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Opinions expressed are not those of any funding agency.