Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword, it's becoming part of daily life in American classrooms.
While some schools initially banned tools like ChatGPT over fears of cheating and plagiarism, many educators are now taking a different approach: teaching students how to use AI responsibly, critically and creatively.
On Tuesday, amid the start of the new school year, first lady Melania Trump announced the Presidential AI Challenge for educators and students in grades K-12. The challenge is designed to "inspire young people and educators to create AI-based innovative solutions to community challenges while fostering AI interest and competency," according to the White House.
"Students and educators of all backgrounds and expertise are encouraged to participate and ignite a new spirit of innovation as we celebrate 250 years of independence and look forward to the next 250 years," the initiative's website reads. "The Presidential AI Challenge will foster interest and expertise in AI technology in America's youth. Early training in the responsible use of AI tools will demystify this technology and prepare America’s students to be confident participants in the AI-assisted workforce, propelling our Nation to new heights of scientific innovation and economic achievement."
First lady Melania Trump invites students to join nationwide AI challenge contestWhen ChatGPT first gained popularity, Dr. Lily Gates, a high school English teacher based in Dallas, North Carolina, said her focus was on catching students misusing it.
"I realized that I was spending more time trying to catch my students using AI than I was giving feedback on their work," Gates told ABC News, adding that at one point, she discovered some students had begun running AI-written essays through "humanizer" apps that added mistakes to make them appear authentic.
Rather than doubling down on surveillance, Gates said she decided to rethink how she taught writing and literacy.
In her classes, she said she now emphasizes student voice through a method she calls "Say, Seed, Slay," asking students to record their ideas aloud, listen to peers' recordings, and identify the "seed" that will become the foundation of their essay.
For revisions, students record screen-shares and voice notes, giving peer feedback in a way that AI can't replicate.
AI risks 'broken' career ladder for college graduates, some experts say"I tell my students that AI may know what happened in chapter six of 'The Great Gatsby,' but it doesn't know them," she said. "It doesn't know their stories, and their stories have the power to shape the world."
For Daniel Forrester, director of technology integration at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia, the real issue isn't whether students use AI, but whether they know how to evaluate and integrate it.
"Critical thinking has always been important, but now it's absolutely essential," he told ABC News. "Students have to think about when and how to use AI and then assess what it gives them for accuracy, bias and relevance."
Forrester trains educators to shift focus from policing final products to understanding student process. He uses what he calls the "Forrester 4" questions:
"That last one is gold," Forrester explained. "It forces students to put their fingerprints on the work, to make it theirs."
He also pushed back on the notion that "using AI is cheating." Students have always had outside help from parents, tutors or peers, he said, but now, every student has access to a digital assistant.
The key, he argued, is helping students recognize what tasks must remain fully their own and where AI can play a supportive role.
At the district level, leaders say they are experimenting with broader frameworks for integrating AI.
Bart Swartz, who leads the Center for Reimagining Education at the University of Kansas, said the schools he works with across Kansas are leaning toward curiosity and experimentation rather than fear.
"We're hearing more excitement than concern," Swartz told ABC News. "Educators are asking not just how to use AI safely, but how to use it well, in ways that build trust, enhance learning and bring parents along in the process."
He said his team uses a "Three Lenses Framework" to guide schools:
Swartz said he's seen creative examples already: elementary schools using AI to personalize after-school programs, middle school teachers tailoring instruction more closely to student needs, and high school students building AI-generated review games from their class notes.
"The most important factor is mindset," he said. "When districts embrace change, the work moves forward."
Gates, Swartz and Forrester are among the growing cohort of teachers and experts who say that banning AI isn't realistic. Instead, they say schools should be learning to adapt, weaving AI into lessons while reinforcing timeless skills like critical thinking, communication and creativity.
For Gates, that means ensuring her students know their voices matter more than any algorithm. For Forrester, it's teaching students to document their process and reflect on what AI adds or takes away. And for Swartz, it's helping districts create conditions for thoughtful, sustainable change.
"Ultimately, the goal isn't perfect assignments or perfect policies," Forrester said, "it's students who leave our schools ready for a world where AI collaboration is just part of how work gets done."
