More than three quarters of secondary school students in the Czech Republic routinely use AI in their education, almost half of them at least once a week, and sometimes they use it even when it is not allowed, according to a survey by technology companies Creative Dock and Elin.ai.
Adam Hanka, from Creative Dock, said the survey showed that Czech education faces a systemic problem, in that half of schools have failed to respond adequately to the advent of artificial intelligence.
According to Hanka, the education system in the Czech Republic has not yet integrated AI tools into teaching and has not defined clear rules for their use. “This shortcoming is manifested primarily by the growing gap between how pupils use AI and how their teachers are able to deal with it in the classroom,” he said.
81% of the 1,000 student respondents from 62 secondary schools across the country said that there were no general rules for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their school, or that they were not aware of them. 17% of respondents said that most teachers in their school are open to using AI.
According to the students, the vast majority of the schools surveyed at least tolerated AI. About a third said the school tolerates AI to a limited extent, and 14% said they feel pressure from their school for a complete ban on AI.
The survey showed that many students experience teachers talking about AI mostly as a tool for cheating, warning them about its flaws, or spreading misleading information about tools that are capable of recognizing AI-generated work.
The authors of the survey said the approach of schools to the use of AI varies considerably, not only between schools but also between individual teachers. Some teachers support the use of AI, discuss with students its benefits and risks, and even incorporate it into lessons on occasion. On the other hand, there are teachers who avoid AI and try to ban its use.
“Teachers should actively share their experiences of using AI in the classroom and look for ways to effectively guide students in how to use it,” said AI engineer Matthew Eibich, from Elin. “It is important to create an environment in which students do not feel the need to hide their use of AI, but instead learn how to cite its outputs correctly and how to get feedback. At the same time, they should be encouraged to approach AI results critically, be aware of the potential level of factual inaccuracy, and always be interested in the original sources as well.”
