By the time the term resumes this year, many students will notice their classroom routine has quietly changed. Instead of whole classes moving at one pace, more pupils will be following personalised learning paths created by generative AI systems that scaffold lessons, suggest practice questions and flag gaps in understanding. Teachers will still set the learning goals and mark the assessments, but AI will increasingly handle rapid feedback, draft explanations and routine administration so that human teachers can concentrate on mentoring and complex teaching tasks. These shifts are not simply hype. According to OECD, international reviews released in January 2026 show that generative AI is already being used widely and that well-designed AI tools can boost learning when teachers guide their use.
For students, this will feel like having a study partner that is available 24/7. An AI tutor might explain a maths step in three ways and then set a few practice problems tailored to the mistakes a pupil just made. At the same time, whole-class lessons will use AI to surface which topics most of the class are struggling with so teachers can focus live instruction where it matters. In higher education and vocational training, the same systems will help match learners to projects, internships and microcredentials that fit their strengths and local labour market needs. Evidence emerging from global pilots suggests the biggest gains come when AI is purposefully integrated into teaching, not simply handed to students as another app.
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Opportunities for students
Personalised support is the clearest benefit for students. AI can shorten the feedback loop so learners know within minutes whether they understood a concept and what to practise next. For students who miss school for illness or travel, AI can generate concise catch-up lessons that map to what was covered in class. It can also help weaker readers by offering spoken versions of text and by creating visual summaries for complex topics. The potential is particularly promising in large classes where one teacher cannot give bespoke feedback to every pupil.
Beyond day-to-day study, AI opens new routes to skills and careers. Young people will be able to use AI tools to co-create portfolios, write project proposals and simulate workplace tasks. Employers and universities are already signalling that AI literacy and the ability to work with AI agents will be prized skills in the next five years. Market studies project rapid growth in the AI education sector, making new learning products and short courses more available but also more commercialised. That means students should expect more paid options for advanced tutoring and certification, even as core learning remains school-provided.
AI can also level some playing fields when access is fair. For example, where there are teacher shortages, high-quality AI tutors that follow sound instructional design could expand access to subject expertise. In countries where many schools share a single specialist teacher, digital assistants can provide subject-specific practice and explanations outside lesson time. But that promise depends on electricity, devices and good internet, so gains will be uneven unless policy closes infrastructure gaps.
Equity, risks and policy
Alongside the benefits, there are real risks that influence students’ outcomes. One is equity of access. Generative AI is mostly useful where learners have reliable devices and connectivity. Large parts of the world still face major infrastructure gaps and those gaps threaten to widen existing educational divides. A second risk is trust and accuracy. AI models sometimes invent facts or give plausible but incorrect answers. Left unchecked, those errors can mislead learners or produce unfair grading outcomes. Third, there are privacy questions. Systems that track students’ progress could expose sensitive data if schools or vendors do not follow strict data protection rules. Global agencies and researchers urge education ministries to require transparent design, teacher oversight and strong privacy safeguards when adopting AI tools.
Policy will matter more than ever. National and school policies must decide which uses of AI are permitted in assessment, how student data is stored and who is accountable when an AI gives a harmful or incorrect recommendation. International guidance released this season recommends designing AI in collaboration with teachers, building tools that reveal how they work, and training educators so they can interpret and override AI suggestions. Where policy is missing, vendors will fill the gap, and commercial incentives may push lower-quality solutions into classrooms. That is why educators, parents and students need to demand clarity about how AI systems are tested and monitored.
How students, parents and schools should prepare
Students should treat AI as a skill and practise using it responsibly. Learn how to ask better questions, cross-check AI outputs and use AI to plan and iterate on projects rather than to produce final submissions without reflection. Parents can help by setting simple rules at home: encourage students to show how they used AI in their work and talk about verifying facts the AI gives. Schools must invest in basic digital infrastructure and in teacher training so staff can choose safe and pedagogically sound tools. Simple steps include a clear policy on acceptable AI use, guidance for assessing AI-generated work and a transparent data protection notice for pupils and families.
Practical steps for education leaders this year include auditing current tools, running short teacher training workshops on generative AI use cases, and piloting monitored AI tutors in a few classes before scaling. Where budgets are tight, leaders can prioritise teacher support tools that save time on marking and administration so that the limited teacher hours available are directed to high-impact teaching. International partners and donor programmes are already offering support and resources for low-income settings, but local adaptation remains crucial.
Conclusion
For students, 2026 will be a year in which AI moves from experiment to routine in many classrooms. The advantages are real: faster feedback, tailored practice and new pathways to skills. The disadvantages are also clear: uneven access, potential errors and data concerns. The balance schools strike will depend on leadership, sensible policy and active teacher involvement. Students who learn to use AI thoughtfully will gain an advantage. Those who lack access or are taught without proper safeguards risk falling further behind. Policymakers, school leaders and parents must therefore act now to make sure that this year of rapid change leaves more learners better prepared rather than more learners left behind.
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