Google ​‌‍​​​⁠‍⁠⁠‌‍‍‌​⁠⁠⁠⁠‌​Warns Against Using AI as Shortcut to Learning

Google on Tuesday warned against using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a shortcut to learning, urging students to harness the technology to strengthen critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.
Google’s Vice President, Mr Chris Phillips, gave the warning at a virtual roundtable on Google’s new AI-powered learning tools for students and teachers.
Phillips, also the General Manager, Education, said that AI was reshaping education but teachers must remain at the centre of the learning process.
He said that Google’s global study with Ipsos showed that learning had become the top reason people turned to AI.
According to him, 86 per cent of teachers want to use AI in their classrooms, but only 17 per cent feel adequately trained to use it effectively.
He said that Google was addressing the gap through its free Google Educator Series, offering short, practical AI training to help teachers build confidence and skills.
Phillips said that AI tools were already helping educators save up to 10 hours weekly on administrative tasks, giving them more time to engage with students.
He said that Google was also expanding teacher-led AI features in Google Classroom to enable educators create assignments, guide students and monitor their progress.
The vice president said that AI should support teachers rather than replace them, adding that the technology should strengthen human connection between teachers and students.
He said that the future of AI in education should be built around empowering teachers and students, rather than replacing human judgment.
Phillips said: “The real breakthrough lies in helping people unlock their own potential.”
Also speaking, Google’s Head of Learning Science, Ms Julia Wilcowski, said that meaningful learning required effort, including engaging with content, recalling information, practising, reflecting and applying knowledge.
Wilcowski said that Google was designing its AI education tools around learning science principles to ensure that students were guided towards discovering solutions rather than simply receiving answers.
She said that an eight-week trial in Sierra Leone showed significant improvement in mathematics among students whose teachers incorporated Google’s guided learning tool into lessons.
According to her, the improvement is equivalent to between 1.8 and 2.5 years of typical academic progress.
She said that teachers in Italy who used Gemini to generate learning materials recorded improved learning outcomes, with more than 80 per cent of students demonstrating the skills targeted in their lessons.
Wilcowski also highlighted the importance of fact-checking and critical thinking because AI systems could still produce inaccurate information, known as hallucinations.
Google’s Director of Gemini for Education, Ms Marta McAlister, said that the company was introducing new learning features in Gemini and Search, to help students organised their studies and learn at their own pace.
McAlister said that students could upload syllabuses, lecture notes and study guides into Gemini to create personalised study notebooks, diagnostic quizzes, bite-sized lessons and progress tracking.
She said that Gemini would also provide interactive quizzes, visualisations, voice-based learning and step-by-step assistance for complex problems.
According to her, Google Lens will soon allow students to use their phone cameras to analyse difficult diagrams and mathematics problems, identify mistakes and receive step-by-step guidance.
She said that Google was offering Google AI Plus free for 12 months to eligible students aged 18 and above in more than 140 countries, including countries in Africa.
McAlister said that the offer would provide students with access to advanced AI learning tools, unlimited file uploads and 400GB of storage.
Google officials, however, emphasised that students and teachers must continue to verify AI-generated information and understand how answers are produced.