Young People’s Views on AI and Education
Public First
Britain's Greatest Education Opportunity Ever is a landmark new report from Sir Anthony Seldon, one of Britain’s leading voices on education and a former headmaster of Brighton College, Wellington College and Epsom College, and Tim Bunting, a Founding Partner at Balderton Capital and former partner at Goldman Sachs. Together, they make the case for why Britain's approach to AI in education is stuck in the starting blocks, and how to get out – including a Ten-Point Action Plan for Government.
As well as the latest international evidence, the report draws on extensive new Public First polling of 4,000 young people in England, exploring how they are already using AI in schoolwork and wider life, and what it means for how they learn. The findings reveal:
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87 per cent of young people in England have used an AI tool – with usage peaking at 90 per cent among 13 to 14-year-olds.
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92 per cent of young people from the highest social grade have used AI, against 79 per cent from the lowest – and 1 in 5 NEET young people have never used an AI tool at all.
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Asked whether AI has made school education more or less important, 42 per cent said less important, against 35 per cent who said more important.
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Only 9 per cent of young people think schools and universities are preparing them very well for a world with AI, despite two-thirds believing it's the school's job to teach them to use these tools responsibly.
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2 in 5 young people have used AI to talk through problems or how they're feeling, and 40 per cent have used it for health advice.
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Young people now trust AI over a person to check a fact, by 47 per cent to 21 per cent – rising to 52 per cent among young men.
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38 per cent of young people agree they are better at using AI than their teachers.
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71 per cent of young people think there will be fewer jobs available as a result of AI.
Public First is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full results and polling tables are available here.
You can read the full report, including the Ten-Point Plan for Government, here.