Generative AI in K-12 Education: Challenges and Opportunities

According to countless headlines, the advent of generative AI marked the beginning of a "revolution" across every imaginable sector of business and society, including education. What makes AI different? Is this the mother of all technological revolutions, pure hype, or something in between? How do we keep up with, and make sense of, the latest developments?

This paper provides an overview of generative AI in K–12 education, including background on the technology, the state of AI literacy and school guidelines, opportunities, risks, and recommendations for the field. It includes insights from a wide spectrum of voices, including qualitative interviews with 40 people, and research and knowledge from the education, policy, research, advocacy, and growth teams at Common Sense. 

More resources: 

Read the complementary quantitative research on young people's generative AI use at home and at school.

See all our reviews of generative AI tools. 

See our AI Literacy Lessons for grades 6–12, and check out our new self-paced training course for teachers on the foundations of generative AI.