Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed education by making learning more accessible, personalised, and efficient with virtual tutors and highly efficient research tools creating amazing opportunities for students.&nbsp;However, the increasing use of AI, which makes complex tasks easy for students, is creating dependence on it. Increasing reliance on AI can stunt students’ mathematical and critical thinking skills and impede their overall development, consequently affecting their academic performance and ‘real learning’.&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the major concerns is the decline in critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as AI tools instantly provide answers, summaries, and solutions to complex questions, and as a result, students do not engage deeply with the subject matter.Over time, this reliance on AI can weaken their ability to think critically and make informed decisions.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/time-for-pause-humans-may-lose-control-on-ai-as-it-starts-building-itself-warns-anthropic-1780660343107">‘Time for pause’: Humans may lose control on AI as it starts building itself, warns Anthropic</a><h2>AI overuse undermines the very purpose of education</h2>&nbsp;Students are using large language models, like Claude, ChatGPT and Google Gemini, to produce essays and reports within seconds without understanding the concepts involved. This undermines the purpose of education, which is to develop knowledge, skills, and creativity. Students may submit AI-generated work as their own, but they miss the valuable learning opportunities and may ultimately struggle in examinations or real-world situations that require independent thinking.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-hotel-owner-helped-bangladeshi-nationals-get-fake-indian-documents-was-arrested-booked-last-year-1780654502514">Delhi hotel owner helped Bangladeshi nationals get fake Indian documents, was arrested, booked last year</a>&nbsp;Creative thinking emerges from brainstorming and overcoming challenges, but when students rely on AI to generate ideas, write content, or solve problems, they become passive learners. Excessive dependence on technology can discourage students from developing perspectives and innovative abilities.AI tools may contribute to reduced motivation and effort as learning requires persistence, practice, and patience. Students are tempted to take shortcuts, and this prevents them from developing a strong work ethic. As a result, students may perform poorly when faced with tasks that require independent effort.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/govt-withdraws-z-plus-cover-of-lalu-yadav-rabri-devi-how-much-does-the-vip-protection-cost-taxpayers-1780746937908">Govt withdraws Z-plus cover of Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi. How much does the VIP protection cost taxpayers?</a><h2>AI misuse negatively affects intellectual growth, creativity, and ethics</h2>&nbsp;Besides, excessive use of AI and digital tools can reduce human interaction in education. Discussions with teachers and classmates play a crucial role in developing communication skills, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. In conclusion, while AI offers numerous advantages in education, its misuse and overdependence can negatively affect students' intellectual growth, creativity, ethics, motivation, privacy, and social development.Therefore, AI should be used as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for genuine learning. By maintaining a balanced approach, students can benefit from technological advancements while continuing to develop essential life skills.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-using-lebanon-as-bargaining-chip-in-negotiations-with-us-says-lebanese-president-joseph-aoun-1780672889045">‘Iran using Lebanon as bargaining chip in negotiations with US,’ says Lebanese President Joseph Aoun</a>&nbsp;Professors at the University of California, Berkeley, have also reported a rise in failing grades in some computer science courses as the use of AI tools among students has increased.&nbsp;They say many students generate code, complete assignments and get solutions with the help of AI but struggle when asked to solve problems independently during examinations or technical interviews.

Students are using Claude, ChatGPT and Google Gemini to produce essays and reports within seconds without understanding the concepts involved. This undermines the purpose of education, which is to develop knowledge, skills, and creativity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed education by making learning more accessible, personalised, and efficient with virtual tutors and highly efficient research tools creating amazing opportunities for students. However, the increasing use of AI, which makes complex tasks easy for students, is creating dependence on it. Increasing reliance on AI can stunt students’ mathematical and critical thinking skills and impede their overall development, consequently affecting their academic performance and ‘real learning’. One of the major concerns is the decline in critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as AI tools instantly provide answers, summaries, and solutions to complex questions, and as a result, students do not engage deeply with the subject matter. Over time, this reliance on AI can weaken their ability to think critically and make informed decisions. Also Read: ‘Time for pause’: Humans may lose control on AI as it starts building itself, warns Anthropic AI overuse undermines the very purpose of education Students are using large language models, like Claude, ChatGPT and Google Gemini, to produce essays and reports within seconds without understanding the concepts involved. This undermines the purpose of education, which is to develop knowledge, skills, and creativity. Students may submit AI-generated work as their own, but they miss the valuable learning opportunities and may ultimately struggle in examinations or real-world situations that require independent thinking. Also Read: Delhi hotel owner helped Bangladeshi nationals get fake Indian documents, was arrested, booked last year Creative thinking emerges from brainstorming and overcoming challenges, but when students rely on AI to generate ideas, write content, or solve problems, they become passive learners. Excessive dependence on technology can discourage students from developing perspectives and innovative abilities. AI tools may contribute to reduced motivation and effort as learning requires persistence, practice, and patience. Students are tempted to take shortcuts, and this prevents them from developing a strong work ethic. As a result, students may perform poorly when faced with tasks that require independent effort. Also Read: Govt withdraws Z-plus cover of Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi. How much does the VIP protection cost taxpayers? AI misuse negatively affects intellectual growth, creativity, and ethics Besides, excessive use of AI and digital tools can reduce human interaction in education. Discussions with teachers and classmates play a crucial role in developing communication skills, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. In conclusion, while AI offers numerous advantages in education, its misuse and overdependence can negatively affect students' intellectual growth, creativity, ethics, motivation, privacy, and social development. Therefore, AI should be used as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for genuine learning. By maintaining a balanced approach, students can benefit from technological advancements while continuing to develop essential life skills. Also Read: ‘Iran using Lebanon as bargaining chip in negotiations with US,’ says Lebanese President Joseph Aoun Professors at the University of California, Berkeley, have also reported a rise in failing grades in some computer science courses as the use of AI tools among students has increased. They say many students generate code, complete assignments and get solutions with the help of AI but struggle when asked to solve problems independently during examinations or technical interviews.

Students are using Claude, ChatGPT and Google Gemini to produce essays and reports within seconds without understanding the concepts involved. This undermines the purpose of education, which is to develop knowledge, skills, and creativity.

Is AI making students dumb? Concerns grow over learning, development of cognitive skills

Recently, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — the point at which AI can perform at or beyond human levels — is no longer a distant goal, but could happen as early as 2030, plus or minus a year. The winner of Nobel Prize for chemistry called this the beginning of a "new human era," and added that humanity has only a few years left to prepare. His warning was that society risks squandering that window on hype and backlash rather than genuine readiness.What does Demis Hassabis mean? Is it going to create the ‘robots taking over humans’ era? What kind of AGI is dangerous?Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/nvidia-s-next-ai-push-5-biggest-announcements-from-ceo-jensen-huang-s-gtc-taipei-2026-keynote-1780298627531">Nvidia's next AI push: 5 biggest announcements from CEO Jensen Huang's GTC Taipei 2026 keynote&nbsp;</a><h2>AGI will be a civilizational inflection point for humanity</h2>&nbsp;Hassabis appears to envision a "golden era" of radical abundance — AGI solving what he calls "root-node problems" like diseases, and finding new energy sources. But he also is warning that the transition will be so fast and so sweeping that societies, governments, and institutions won't have time to adapt unless they start preparing now. He sees 2026 itself as a turning point, with AI agents and tool-use capabilities already becoming genuinely useful in everyday work.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-ai-solves-decades-old-maths-problems-but-deepmind-ceo-says-agi-is-still-far-away-1779695717629">Google AI solves decades-old maths problems, but DeepMind CEO says AGI is still far away</a><h2>What are AGI capabilities now?&nbsp;</h2>Today's frontier AI models can write code, pass exams, conduct research, and reason across complex domains — but they still lack true general reasoning and autonomous learning. Sceptics point to benchmarks like ARC-AGI-3 as evidence that current systems remain far from human-level general reasoning. But some tech founders believe AGI thresholds have already been crossed, while mainstream researchers say we're close but not there yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/agi-vs-artificial-intelligence-what-s-the-real-difference-1775397711605">AGI vs Artificial Intelligence: What's the real difference</a>&nbsp;<h2>Why is Artificial General Intelligence dangerous?</h2>A recent DeepMind research paper warned that AGI could "permanently destroy humanity", listing existential risks as clear examples of harm if the technology develops without safeguards. Near-term risks include economic disruption. Anthropic, the firm behind the Claude AI model, has predicted that unemployment could hit 10 to 20 per cent as up to half of entry-level jobs will get automated. A technology this powerful arriving before alignment, regulation, and social safety nets could cause irreversible harm before anyone can course-correct.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis thinks Artificial General Intelligence could arrive by 2030, transforming humanity with major benefits. But he also warned of risks such as economic disruption, unemployment and existential threats.

Recently, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — the point at which AI can perform at or beyond human levels — is no longer a distant goal, but could happen as early as 2030, plus or minus a year. The winner of Nobel Prize for chemistry called this the beginning of a "new human era," and added that humanity has only a few years left to prepare. His warning was that society risks squandering that window on hype and backlash rather than genuine readiness. What does Demis Hassabis mean? Is it going to create the ‘robots taking over humans’ era? What kind of AGI is dangerous? Also read: Nvidia's next AI push: 5 biggest announcements from CEO Jensen Huang's GTC Taipei 2026 keynote AGI will be a civilizational inflection point for humanity Hassabis appears to envision a "golden era" of radical abundance — AGI solving what he calls "root-node problems" like diseases, and finding new energy sources. But he also is warning that the transition will be so fast and so sweeping that societies, governments, and institutions won't have time to adapt unless they start preparing now. He sees 2026 itself as a turning point, with AI agents and tool-use capabilities already becoming genuinely useful in everyday work. Also read: Google AI solves decades-old maths problems, but DeepMind CEO says AGI is still far away What are AGI capabilities now? Today's frontier AI models can write code, pass exams, conduct research, and reason across complex domains — but they still lack true general reasoning and autonomous learning. Sceptics point to benchmarks like ARC-AGI-3 as evidence that current systems remain far from human-level general reasoning. But some tech founders believe AGI thresholds have already been crossed, while mainstream researchers say we're close but not there yet. Also read: AGI vs Artificial Intelligence: What's the real difference Why is Artificial General Intelligence dangerous? A recent DeepMind research paper warned that AGI could "permanently destroy humanity", listing existential risks as clear examples of harm if the technology develops without safeguards. Near-term risks include economic disruption. Anthropic, the firm behind the Claude AI model, has predicted that unemployment could hit 10 to 20 per cent as up to half of entry-level jobs will get automated. A technology this powerful arriving before alignment, regulation, and social safety nets could cause irreversible harm before anyone can course-correct.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis thinks Artificial General Intelligence could arrive by 2030, transforming humanity with major benefits. But he also warned of risks such as economic disruption, unemployment and existential threats.

Google DeepMind CEO says we don't have much time to prepare for the 'new human era'.  What are AGI capabilities he is warning about?

While narrow AI handles specific tasks with high accuracy, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) aims to match close to 100 per cent of human cognitive abilities across all domains.


While narrow AI handles specific tasks with high accuracy, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) aims to match close to 100 per cent of human cognitive abilities across all domains.

AGI vs artificial intelligence: What’s the real difference

Vikram Chandra speaks to international AI expert Alex Volkov on his attempts to reach the alter-ego of Microsoft's Bing Chatbot, Sydney, who had earlier expressed a desire to merge its brains with the flesh of a human.

The India Story | Microsoft's 'Sydney' AI wants to merge with humans

Vikram Chandra speaks with Saurabh Nangia, CEO of Mesh AI, on how India is preparing for the AI revolution in technology.

The India Story | How India is preparing for the AI paradigm shift in technology