AI in schools: New Brookings report finds the risks are greater than the benefits. Long Island educators weigh in.

Integrating artificial intelligence into the classroom could potentially bring "unprecedented innovation" — from helping neurodivergent kids navigate social situations to assisting dyslexic students with reading — but at the moment, the benefits "pale in comparison" to the risks, a recently released report from the Brookings Institution found.

The 219-page report, released in January, is the result of a yearlong study by the  Center for Universal Education at Brookings. In the report, the authors said AI can save teachers time when it comes to lesson planning, grading and assessing students. It can also personalize lessons for students and provide additional support to those who need it.

But, the report found, AI can also threaten students' safety, undermine their cognitive and emotional development and degrade trust in education.

With AI still a relatively new technology, the authors say there is still time to develop tools that will benefit students. They recommend developing regulations to protect student data and emotional well-being, improving AI literacy among teachers and families to help identify misinformation and bias, and ensuring oversight over AI learning. 

"Without immediate intervention, we risk creating students who trade deep understanding for surface efficiency, critical thinking for algorithmic dependence, human companionship for AI relationships and creative problem solving for rapid task completion," the authors wrote.

On Long Island, educators had mixed reactions to the use of AI in the classroom. Some argued educators have a duty to prepare students for a future where AI will likely be commonplace, while others raised concerns about how AI will impact students' ability to think for themselves.

"AI is here, and our work is to use it thoughtfully," said Marie Testa, president of Nassau County Council of School Superintendents. The Brookings report's recommendations, which she said include "helping students prosper, preparing them with the skills they’ll need in a rapidly changing economy and protecting equity and human development — align closely with how Nassau County and New York State superintendents are leading."

Many Island educators agreed that as AI continues to evolve, human connection and oversight will be critical to realize the technology’s benefits.

Roberto Joseph, the acting chair and a professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology in Hofstra’s School of Education, said AI, in its current state, is helpful when used to generate ideas or as a support system for instruction in the classroom.

But, he said, "You have to have the human element to double check. If not, that's when you run into trouble. It's a system that requires a hell of a lot of checking."

Embracing AI

The authors of the Brookings report interviewed more than 500 students, teachers, parents, education leaders and "technologists" across 50 countries over the span of a year.

The goal of the study was to understand the current and evolving landscape of AI in classrooms, while also assessing the benefits and risks associated with bringing the technology into schools, authors of the study said. The report is designed to serve as a resource for educational stakeholders.

In the report, the authors said schools already employ AI in a variety of ways, including platforms that help track attendance or provide translation services.

Franklin Square schools Superintendent Jared Bloom said students and staff in his district have embraced the technology.

For instance, the district uses a program called Amira, in which students practice their reading skills with a "reading pal" after receiving instruction from a teacher. The software has helped students who aren't comfortable reading in front of their peers, Bloom said. 

But Bloom said the district has taken pains to ensure the technology is used correctly and that students are protected.

Teachers receive training in AI and the district hosts tech nights for parents. It also sends out a  newsletter to provide more information, he said.

"Many families don’t realize the access that their kids have outside of school," Bloom said. "We don’t want to have a social media crisis. We want to make sure they’re using it in a right way."

AI reservations

An overwhelming majority — 91% — of U.S. children between the ages of 13 and 17 reported using AI in their personal life in 2025, according to the Brookings report.

Kids are playing games in Roblox to "hone their numeracy, science and coding skills" and uploading class notes to Google NotebookLM to create flash cards for test preparation, the report said. Others are using Snapchat's AI chatbot to seek dating advice or help with their homework, the report said.

At The Waldorf School of Garden City, students' screen time has been traditionally limited during the school day. Now with this new technology, faculty chair Deirdre Burns Somers has expressed reservations about the use of AI in schools.

"Waldorf educator and author Jeff Kane notes in a recent book that AI cannot form meaningful questions, and it is human curiosity, imagination and early opportunities for creative thinking that make this possible," she said. "At The Waldorf School of Garden City, we believe it is this ability to think deeply and question what is in front of us that will ultimately distinguish our students from the machines."

The report identified a number of risks from AI for students and teachers, including undermining students’ cognitive development due to the overuse and "dependence" on AI.

"As AI tools continuously improve, they become increasingly seductive to use, creating what amounts to an existential danger to learning itself," the report states.

The authors also state that AI can impede students’ social and emotional development by undermining children’s ability to "form relationships, recover from setbacks and maintain mental health."

"Much of this concern centers on students’ use of AI chatbots — both general-purpose and explicitly emotional support tools — for friendship and emotional companionship," the report states.

Bloom, who noted some of his students use chatbots, said it’s important to make sure students know there isn’t a real person talking to them.

"We want to make sure we’re preparing kids, while providing them with opportunities to understand how it works, what’s behind AI — understanding that is critical," Bloom said.

Report recommendations

The Brookings report identified 12 recommendations for AI use under a framework the authors called "prosper, prepare and protect," which they said can ensure AI "supports children's flourishing, safeguards their well-being and equips them to meet the challenges of tomorrow."

Educators must recognize when AI is useful, only employing it when it enhances students' effort and cognitive engagement, the report said. "Robust" professional development is necessary to equip educators with the knowledge and skills they need to teach with AI and there needs to be "clear visions for ethical AI use while expanding equitable access," the authors said.

The report also calls for the implementation of safeguards to protect "student privacy, safety, emotional well-being and cognitive and social development." Companies creating AI can embed protections, while adult guidance is key to shielding students from the harms of AI, the report said.

Kings Park schools Superintendent Timothy Eagen, who is also president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, said New York State has laws in place to make sure students' data is protected.

“It gives us some guidelines that we need to stick to, which in this case is super important,” he said.

Eagen said in his district they teach students how to interpret pictures and other material that could have been manipulated with AI.

“That’s an important thing for kids to understand as well,” Eagen said.

The superintendent said educators need to teach kids how to "use and interpret AI effectively and safely."

But he argues educators do students a disservice if they fail to expose students to this new and emerging technology.

“That quantum shift in technology has happened," he said. "It’s our duty in public education to make sure that our students are prepared and ready to go out in the environment.”