Survey (of PHS students) says: The school is not adapting fast enough.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t just in labs and headlines — it’s in every conversation, from teens swapping tips on using ChatGPT for homework to adults debating AI’s impact on jobs, politics, art, and even relationships. No matter where you go, one thing is clear: the future is arriving faster than our schools are preparing us for it.
This gap between global conversations and local action was especially striking during the 2024 G7 Summit, where world leaders focused on AI’s transformative potential but said little about the urgent need to modernize education and how to protect the young generation from AI’s risks. The G7, or Group of Seven, is a coalition of leading industrialized democracies, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, that meets annually to tackle major global challenges. In 2024, discussions centered on AI’s ethical, societal, and economic impacts. However, little attention was given to youths’ voices and how educational systems must adapt to equip the next generation for an AI-centric world.
I designed and conducted a survey across twelve Bay Area schools, collecting 1,161 responses, including 235 from PHS students and shared the results with the G7 presidency. The survey measured students’ knowledge of AI, perceptions of school adoption of AI tools, and views on AI’s role in education, careers, communication, and emotional well-being. The results were striking and similar across all schools, from middle school, high school to college, with about 80% of the students voicing that their schools are not ready and are not leveraging the power of AI.
“Teachers and parents automatically assume we are cheating when we use ChatGPT,” said Owen Curran, PHS sophomore. “But I mostly use it to better understand what I’m learning in class.”
Just like in other schools, an overwhelming 87% of the 235 PHS students who responded to the survey, felt that the school’s adoption of AI is nonexistent or very limited. Over 87% fear that PHS is not preparing them for the role of AI in the workplace, with 76% recognizing that these skills are going to be important for their future. PHS wants to see changes, with overall 85.6% supporting the integration and use of AI tools in the classroom, though 67.8% preferred selective or supervised use to address equity concerns.
“We don’t need our school to teach more programming. We need new programs to learn how to think and
be more creative” said Danny King, PHS sophomore.
While support for AI in the classroom is strong, preparing students for an AI-driven future requires much more than just technical skills like coding. It requires teaching how to think critically and ethically, solve problems creatively and adapt continuously. According to the 2023 World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, these skills are among the most crucial for the future workforce, even more important than technical skills alone. In the age of AI, the ability to frame problems, interpret complex outputs, and make ethical decisions will be just as essential as programming. PHS students seem to understand this clearly.
Indeed, only 27.8% highlighted technical skills, like programming and data analysis, as their top priority. The remaining 72.2% emphasized the importance of skills like creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, communication and adaptability to succeed in the future.
As students increasingly interact with AI tools, these technologies are becoming more than just academic aids, they’re shaping how young people communicate, form ideas, and even build relationships.
“Communicating with a person is different than communicating with AI bots like ChatGPT” said Lewis Seiden, a PHS senior.
As schools consider integrating AI into education, the additional challenge is to teach students how to navigate its risks, including manipulation, misinformation, and emotional exploitation. This is especially critical as students in elementary and middle school will be exposed to AI technologies from an early age. Just as schools teach reading, research, and critical thinking, they must now equip students with the skills to recognize AI’s risks. Tools like chatbots can support learning, but they can also exploit loneliness and blur the line between reality and influence.
Today students are not fully aware of this. Indeed, when asked about the impact of AI on personal relationships and emotional exploitation, only 16.6% of the students’ voiced concerns, while the remaining 83.4% stated it doesn’t have any effect. If schools are preparing students for an AI-driven world, they must also provide them with the tools to defend their autonomy within it.
California has recently taken steps to respond to the need to align education with the realities of technological transformation. On September 29, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill No. 2876 into law, mandating that the California Instructional Quality Commission integrate AI education into state curricula, covering topics from math and social sciences to ethics, data privacy, and the future of work. In response, several Bay Area school districts took action. The Marin County Office of Education is advancing AI integration efforts, while districts like Palo Alto Unified have launched committees to explore AI use for personalized instruction and equity. Palo Alto has even created a public webpage offering AI tools for educators interested in responsibly integrating platforms like ChatGPT into their classrooms. Similarly, Oakland, San Francisco, and Contra Costa County school districts have issued guidelines to support students, families, and educators in navigating generative AI. Nearby universities like UC Berkeley and Stanford are also partnering with K–12 schools to rethink education for the 21st century, offering insights into how AI can enhance, not replace, deeper learning and human connection.
Piedmont Unified School District has a critical opportunity to act and lead in preparing students for an AI-driven future. With so many in our community at the forefront of technology and innovation, our schools are uniquely positioned to shape what modern, forward-looking education can be. As AI transforms every field, students are urging schools to keep pace — not just by adopting new tools, but by fostering new ways of thinking, learning, and growing.
The future is moving fast. Our schools need to move with it.