MILWAUKEE — Summer may be wrapping up, but for Milwaukee Public Schools students like Micaiah Hopkins and McKenzie Duckworth, their learning never stopped.
The two sixth graders spent the summer with Associated Bank's AI Academy, gaining hands-on experience with artificial intelligence technology.
"I love AI," Hopkins said.
"I think AI is a great helper that you can use and a tool that you can use to solve problems or help you with equations or things for school," Duckworth said.
Both students have had artificial intelligence integrated into their curriculum in recent years, with more on the way, according to an MPS spokesperson. The district has made ChatGPT and Gemini available to staff, while librarians can use lessons from district-approved AI platforms.
Students have been given various AI tools based on their age and with guidance from instructors. The district uses safeguards for proper and ethical use.
The exposure is something McKenzie's mother, Johonna Duckworth, thinks is crucial for students' development.
"I think getting them at this age, where we can begin to show them how to begin to produce and not just become users of the technology, is instrumental. It's going to take them well beyond this point," Johonna Duckworth said.
MPS isn't the only district exploring AI integration. Greenfield has implemented some AI practices for their teachers, but has yet to adopt those changes for students while they're in school. The state's Department of Public Instruction has a set of AI guidelines for districts around the state.
However, some parents remain cautious about the technology's role in education. Nathan Hopkins, Micaiah's father, expressed mixed feelings about AI in schools.
"AI's pretty new, I hear a lot of people kind of abusing AI, not so much using their own thoughts, so it's kind of mixed emotions with it," Nathan Hopkins said.
Some research supports his criticism. A study from MIT looked at essay writing while being assisted by AI and suggests its convenience came at a "cognitive cost" as users lost inclination to evaluate the AI output.
The study noted the "potential impact on cognitive development, critical thinking, and intellectual independence demands a very careful consideration and continued research."
"I don't want people to just lean on it versus actually having knowledge, that's my thing with AI," Nathan Hopkins said.
As the technology develops, educators and parents will continue to see how it changes the classroom experience.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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