Black Teens Lead in AI Use for Schoolwork, Pew Survey Shows

Depending on whom you ask, artificial intelligence technology in K-12 education is a godsend or a curse for Black students. Supporters say powerful chatbots like ChatGPT or Copilot can help narrow the Black-white achievement gap, while detractors point to well-documented problems with the technology — including factual inaccuracy and racial bias.

A new survey, however, shows that, with Black students, the AI genie is already out of the bottle.

About 6 in 10 Black teenagers use artificial intelligence to help them with their schoolwork, according to the survey from the Pew Research Center. That’s compared to about half of all white teens.

Education analysts who study artificial intelligence in K-12 classrooms say the disparity in AI use between white and Black students could be a symptom of larger, more systemic problems.

Dr. José Luis Vilson, executive director of the nonprofit EduColor, notes that Black students’ disproportionate reliance on AI for homework help suggests they may not receive the same level of attention or resources in their learning as white students.

“That includes tutoring, that includes mentoring,” says Vilson, whose organization supports students of color. White and affluent students, he says, “are able to have more access to tutoring services from different people as opposed to these folks who can access a chatbot.”

The use of artificial intelligence has exploded in recent years. A 2024 Pew survey, for example, found that around 26% of all U.S. teenagers said they had used ChatGPT for their schoolwork. That’s double the percentage from a year earlier, when just 13% of teens said they used the chatbot for schoolwork.

For its current survey, Pew polled about 1,450 teenagers between 13 and 17 last autumn about how they use AI. Its findings shed light on how artificial intelligence is shaping teenagers’ study habits.

Overall, more than half of teenagers are using AI chatbots to help them with their school work. Pew found that 57% of teenagers say they have used AI chatbots to search for information. Meanwhile, 54% of teens say they use the technology to get help with schoolwork.

Black and Hispanic teenagers, however, say they are more likely than their white peers to use AI chatbots to help with their schoolwork and to do much of it with their help, according to the survey.

About 40% of Black teenagers say they find AI chatbots to be extremely or very helpful for completing their schoolwork, compared with about 30% of Hispanic teens and 20% of white teens, the survey found. Black teenagers told Pew they are also more likely to say they do all or most of their school work using AI chatbots than their white peers.

The use of chatbots in schoolwork is a growing point of debate among educators. While some say the technology puts a powerful tutoring and research tool at students’ fingertips, others say it can lead to cheating, stifle critical thinking skills and contribute to learning loss.

What Are the Ethical Concerns Around AI?

Perhaps more worrisome are studies that have found implicit racial bias within chatbots. Experts say the technology can skew educational outcomes by reflecting and amplifying historical inequities in data and design, raising concerns about fairness, access, and equity in K-12 classrooms.

Vilson is among the education experts who are skeptical about students using artificial intelligence without guidance or supervision.

“It’s like grammar check on steroids,” Vilson says. “Learning, it’s not just that it generates a bunch of things that sound smart, it’s actually about being smart.”

If schools are going to use AI in teaching students, Vilson says, they must ensure it is used in a limited way where everyone, especially Black and Brown students, can get involved.

“I think when you have data like this, it speaks less to the tool and more to why students are feeling the way they are about the educational prospects,” he says.

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What Are the Ethical Concerns Around AI?