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Google’s AI push in schools fuels plunging test scores — as kids left ‘dependent’ on chatbots: report

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Cite

Barrabi, T. (2026, October 1). Google’s AI push in schools fuels plunging test scores — as kids left ‘dependent’ on chatbots: report. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/01/business/googles-ai-push-in-schools-fuels-test-scores-plunge-kids-dependent-on-chatbots-report/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-01 · by Thomas Barrabi

Quick Summary

The Wall Street Journal reports that increased reliance on AI tools like Google's chatbots is harming student performance, with many students becoming so dependent on these technologies that their test scores are declining significantly. For instance, in a global survey of 760,000 15-year-olds across 91 countries, reading scores hit a 25-year low, and U.S. test scores dropped by 14 points compared to 2022. Students who use AI daily for schoolwork scored 20 points lower in science than those who did not. The article highlights concerns from teachers and former Google employees that widespread AI usage could negatively impact students' cognitive development and academic outcomes.
Written by AI on 2026-10-01, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In Pennsylvania, Richard Scott, an eighth-grader, reported that he became overly dependent on Google's AI-assisted search features to complete his schoolwork. This dependence led to a significant drop in his test scores when he did not have access to the technology during exams. The Wall Street Journal cited interviews with over 60 teachers, parents, and children who echoed similar concerns about students' increasing reliance on AI tools such as Google's integrated into Chromebooks provided by schools. Despite internal research showing potential risks to students' cognitive development, Google has continued to promote its AI software in educational settings, raising ethical questions about the impact of technology on young minds.

Written for “Google AI in Schools Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Google AI in Schools Controversy
Education · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 18% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 12 of 29 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Both articles discuss related issues of AI use in schools and its impact on students, but they describe different aspects and sources of information.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 7 of 52 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI usage and its impacts, with Article A focusing on general resistance to AI and Article B specifically addressing the impact of AI in schools on test scores.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
18%
4 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-01 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16258 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Thomas Barrabi
20 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Thomas Barrabi
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 20 articles by Thomas Barrabi →

Topics

Chromebook Google Journal Pennsylvania the Wall Street Journal

Subjects

Google ORG · 10× Journal ORG · 6× Kaitlyn Ruano PERSON · 1× Miami ORG · 1× Mikel Rodriguez PERSON · 1× Pennsylvania GPE · 1× Richard Scott PERSON · 1× ex-Google ORG · 1× the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ORG · 1× the Wall Street Journal ORG · 1×

Narrative

Kids are increasingly reliant on features like Google’s AI-assisted search to solve problems, answer questions and write essays – to the detriment of their learning, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing interviews with “more than 60 teachers, school officials, parents, children and clinicians.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-01
🔮 “When I was in a test and I couldn’t use AI, it was hard to think.”

Claims (22 extracted, 4 hedged)

Kids are increasingly reliant on features like Google’s AI-assisted search to solve problems, answer questions and write essays – to the detriment of their learning, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing interviews with “more than 60 teachers, school officials, parents, children and clinicians.” asserted
Journal → assist → teachers
Richard Scott, a Pennsylvania-based eighth grader, told the Journal that he became so reliant on AI to complete his classwork that his grades suffered in situations where he didn’t have access – such as during tests. asserted
he → base → tests
“It slowed my thinking down,” the middle-schooler was quoted as saying. asserted
schooler → slow → thinking
“When I was in a test and I couldn’t use AI, it was hard to think.” asserted
it → use → AI
Google has continued pushing its AI software – which comes preloaded on Chromebook laptops supplied to schools – despite the fact that its own researchers have warned kids are particularly at risk for mental and emotional harm, according to the Journal. uncertain
kids → continue → Journal
The newspaper said it interviewed current and former Google employees about the problem and reviewed more than a dozen Google research papers on how AI affected students. asserted
AI → say → students
“We’re doing this experiment on an entire generation on cognitive development, with no control group,” ex-Google research scientist Mikel Rodriguez, who left the company last year, told the Journal. asserted
who → do → Journal
The rise in AI, which is now readily available on computers and smartphones, is a factor in a worldwide decline in reading scores, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which conducted a global survey of 760,000 15-year-olds in 91 countries. uncertain
which → accord → countries
Student test scores were found to be at their lowest average in 25 years. asserted
scores → find → years
In the US, test scores were down 14 points compared to 2022, when the survey was last conducted, the Journal reported. asserted
Journal → compare → 2022
Meanwhile, students who admitted using AI tools daily to help with their school reported scores on science tests that were 20 points lower than students who reported never using AI. asserted
who → admit → AI
A Google spokeswoman said the company’s internal studies show that AI tools are a useful supplement to the traditional teacher-led classroom experience. asserted
tools → say → experience
“Teachers around the world use our technology every day because it solves real classroom challenges and helps improve learning outcomes,” the spokeswoman added. asserted
spokeswoman → use → outcomes
The Journal spoke to an art-history teacher in Miami who expressed shock over how many students have failed their AP exam. asserted
students → speak → exam
Her school district had recently given high school-age students access to Google’s Gemini AI chatbot. asserted
district → give → chatbot
“I had kids come to class after saying, ‘Miss, I had no clue what half the material was, I’m not going to lie to you. asserted
I → come → you
I’ve been using AI all year,’” the teacher, Kaitlyn Ruano, told the outlet. asserted
teacher → use → outlet
The problem isn’t limited to Google, according to the report. uncertain
problem → limit → report
Teachers and parents who spoke to the outlet pointed to OpenAI’s ChatGPT as another popular tool with students. asserted
who → speak → students
However, Google has more of a foothold in schools because it has actively tried to build ties with the education system. asserted
it → have → system
Google says it provides educational software to more than 170 million students and teachers around the world. asserted
it → say → world
The Big Tech giant also maintains a network of more than 6,000 teacher “influencers” who are “certified” in using Google’s tools to enhance their teaching, according to the Journal. uncertain
who → maintain → Journal
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