I'm William Brangham and this is Horizons. Technology has changed the way students study and learn,

with computers and the internet now helping millions of young minds every day. And now,

artificial intelligence has entered the classroom. Proponents argue it will be a welcome revolution for schools.

But with limited regulations and guardrails,

could it do more harm than good?

Is this a reality that teachers and parents and students

have to embrace?

AI and education.

Coming up next. Welcome to Horizons. It has been four years since ChatGPT was released, and it and other artificial

intelligence tools like it are being deployed everywhere, including

in America's schools.

In some elementary schools, kids use an AI program to make snappy music and dance videos.

In others, programs like Dolly, which is embedded in chat GPT, lets kids create novel artwork.

In the majority of schools, students can access Google's AI program,

Gemini, because it's embedded in the company's Chrome laptops,

which, according to one study, are being used in 80%

of K through 12 public schools.

On those laptops, Gemini is always at the students' beck and call, ready to help improve

writing, create a new image, or do what it calls deep research. There are entirely new schools,

like the Alpha schools, which use AI to create personalized lesson plans for each student, compressed

down into just two hours a day,

with the rest of the day open for other activities.

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