OECD study finds AI use linked to worse student test scores

A global OECD PISA report based on 2025 data found that 15-year-old students who used AI to study generally scored worse in science, math, and reading than those who didn't. Certain types of AI use showed a slight positive effect, particularly when students were taught to critically evaluate the AI's output.

Why it matters: This is the first large-scale international dataset on AI's classroom impact since AI use went mainstream, and it complicates the simple narrative that AI tutoring straightforwardly helps learning. The finding that critical-evaluation training changes the outcome points policymakers toward pairing AI access with media-literacy instruction rather than blanket bans or mandates.