AI is no longer futuristic. It’s already embedded in how students learn, communicate, and complete assignments. Much like the cell phone, it is becoming universal. As the school year unfolds, the appeal of AI in the classroom is clear as it can enable students to brainstorm and generate answers within seconds. But some argue that this shortcut can negatively impact deeper learning. 

The real question is how students will learn to use it. Will schools guide that process, or will students be left to navigate AI on their own, as many did with smartphones?

Cell Phone Context

Over the past decade, educators tried to turn cell phones into learning tools. For a while, EdTech platforms, such as Kahoot! and mobile polling apps, seemed to transform phones from distractions into engagement tools.

But the narrative shifted. As of September 2025, more than 30 states have implemented or are planning to enforce cell phone bans or restrictions in K-12 classrooms. Some professors have banned them outright during lectures. As shared in this Inside Higher Ed op-ed, one college writing instructor even physically took away students’ phones to preserve classroom attention. As highlighted in a 2017 Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences research, even undergraduate students admitted that cell phones disrupt their learning. 

And yet, restrictions didn’t prevent mastery. Students became fluent in mobile technology through texting, gaming, and social media, thus creating TikToks and digital content with ease.

Now, with phones largely sidelined in classrooms, AI has taken the spotlight, sparking similar debates about its role in education.

Cell Phone & AI Comparison

At first glance, phones and AI may look similar, as they are technologies viewed with suspicion in the classroom. But the comparison reveals a crucial difference.

• Cell phones were designed for communication. Educators could adapt them for polls or quick engagement, but their primary role was never learning. That’s why they’ve been seen as distractions more than tools.
  
  
• AI is designed around knowledge. It can summarize, explain, and even adapt instruction to an individual student’s level of understanding. 

Overall, where phones disrupted learning, AI reshapes it. And that distinction matters.

Higher Education & Workforce

The impact of AI is already felt in the classrooms and the workplace. 

Based on a Daily Princetonian article, professors recognize that AI isn’t going away. English Professor Meredith Martin stated plainly:

“If students, especially the generation that’s coming in right now, went through high school using [AI], it’s going to be really, really hard for them to stop.” Princeton Professor Cole’s statement, “cognitive offloading that happens with AI,” highlights the difficulty to resist AI, given its ability to deliver instant answers and results.

At the same time, professors view that AI-written assignments are often of low quality, lacking the depth needed for an “A.” Out of fear of plagiarism and shortcut learning, some Princeton professors have banned any AI use. 

Their view raises a big question. What is the role of schools in preparing students for the workforce when companies have differing opinions on AI? This is a complex situation, as schools, given their partnerships with corporate recruitment programs, are responsible for preparing students for the labor market. 

For example, some employers, such as Coinbase, have fired workers who resisted adopting AI, as they view it as essential to staying ahead of competitors. Additionally, marketers are using AI to produce content faster than ever. According to a Microsoft study, 75% of knowledge workers use AI at work. What guidance should be offered to professors who resist its use and shun it like a cell phone?

In response, moderation may be the best path forward. Researchers from Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University have shared that overreliance on AI may weaken critical thinking skills, which are integral in being competitive in the marketplace. Yet the opposite is also true. According to a 2023 MIT study, the usage of Generative AI can boost the productivity of already highly skilled workers. When people have already been nurtured to build strong foundational abilities, using AI as an augmenting tool rather than a replacement can be effective. 

Regardless of school guidance, students are likely to use AI for entertainment, creative projects, and everyday experimentation. If the usage of AI is left entirely on its own, however, it may lean toward quick answers or surface-level uses. With thoughtful support, AI can become a way to strengthen skills, such as analysis, problem-solving, and productivity, thereby helping students develop habits that contribute to long-term success.

Best Path Forward

As schools think about AI policy from absolute bans to full adoption, they can set guidelines that can empower students to use AI effectively:

Safeguards Schools Can Implement

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Of course, educators know their students and content best, so their approach to AI may differ based on diverse learning environments and factors related to them. 

Conclusion

Overall, AI is not the same as mobile devices, and its role in schools will likely need to be approached differently. Unlike cell phones, which can be set aside without much disruption, AI has become central to how students access information and generate results.

The key question is how students will use it: only in unstructured ways that offer instant answers or in more thoughtful, guided contexts that build lasting skills? With well-considered policies, supported by teachers, schools have the opportunity to make AI less of a shortcut and more of a tool for meaningful learning and long-term success.