Report: Students not using AI for schoolwork outperform those who rely on it

Students who rarely use artificial intelligence chatbots for schoolwork outperform peers who rely on them, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment report, cited by Peoples Gazette.

The study, based on over 760,000 students across 91 countries, found those who never or rarely use AI to draft texts scored 509 in science, versus 481 for daily users. OECD Education Director Andreas Schleicher urged students to treat AI as a “scaffold, not a crutch,” warning against “cognitive offloading.” The report recorded PISA’s lowest-ever average scores, with reading falling 28 points and mathematics 22 points across OECD countries since 2015, attributed partly to digital distraction.