GenAI can turn students into passive consumers, OECD warns

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has the potential to reshape the educational system, but we have to be mindful of the risks of turning students into “passive consumers” and teachers into “supervisors.”

That’s what the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) concludes in its Digital Education Outlook 2026 report, ‘Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education.’

The paper suggests that GenAI, which is rapidly being integrated into education systems worldwide, supports personalized learning and enhances teaching practices. For example, evidence shows that GenAI helps students better understand textbook content, supports teachers, and improves the quality of online teaching.

However, the convenience of GenAI may come at a cost.

“When students depend too heavily on GenAI, metacognitive engagement, the mental processes and effort that turn answers into understanding, drops. This results in a misalignment between task performance and genuine learning,” the report states.

Achieving the benefits of GenAI requires effective integration of this education technology into teaching and learning. For example, students should focus on how to think and learn rather than on output.

The OECD argues that, with an educationally sound approach and integration of pedagogical models, GenAI can do much more than just help students with their homework.

“It has the potential to deepen student learning, improve teaching practice, and streamline institutional management and research,” the organization says.

But most importantly, these benefits involve risks that should not be underestimated.

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“Overreliance risks turning students into passive consumers and teachers into supervisors. To unlock GenAI’s full potential, education must move beyond generic chatbots towards purpose-built tools for education,” the OECD recommends.

“The thoughtful integration of general-purpose GenAI tools will be essential for realizing the full learning benefits of GenAI and developing students’ GenAI literacy for their future careers. The challenge for policymakers is to ensure that GenAI is a learning partner and not a learning shortcut,” the OECD concludes.

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