New study reveals how dependent Black and Hispanic teens are on AI chatbots for schoolwork, but other factors paint a clearer picture
TheGrio...
Chatbots like ChatGPT and Meta AI have become more prevalent in schools across the country, with Black and Hispanic teens more likely to use those tools for everything from looking up information to seeking emotional support and care.
Schools and universities across the country are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to implement practices that will shape the future of education. A recent Pew Research Group study found that while AI chatbot usage amongst teens ages 13 through 17 has risen to almost 65%, the figure jumps significantly when comparing Black and Hispanic students’ use of chatbots to that of their White counterparts.
The study explored demographics in terms of race, household income and gender and found that Black and Hispanic students surveyed were more likely to use chatbots for schoolwork assistance and to use chatbots like ChatGPT to summarize articles and books and create images.
In several categories, including how Black teens receive news and emotional support, Black teen students ages 15 through 17 turned to AI chatbots more than their Hispanic and White counterparts, with 21% of those surveyed admitting they use chatbots for emotional support or help. When it comes to overall internet usage? Black teens are likely to be active on every platform, ranging from YouTube to Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and more.
The factors why Black students are turning to AI
Even as educators are doing their best to wean students off the use of AI in their classrooms in favor of human-to-human interaction, others have vocalized its use as a way to catch up, as students have suffered the effects of overcrowded classrooms, a lack of support, resources and more. According to an essay shared in The Observer in Sacramento, AI helped fill gaps for several students at underfunded schools in the area, including schools with underexperienced educators and more.
A 2024 Forbes article highlighted how prevalent AI is in classrooms, particularly for Black teachers. A Walton Family Foundation study found that Black teachers and educators in urban school districts were quicker to adopt AI, with 86 percent of students and educators reporting using chatbots. Hispanic and Black students in K-12 were found to be the highest users of AI at 77 percent and 72 percent, respectively, compared to 70 percent for White students.
Overall? It means that Black students, from elementary through high school, have taken to AI far more quickly than their counterparts, using it not only to learn quick summaries of subjects but also to create images and videos.
Educators, like Iris Alder, are encouraging their students to lean into AI to avoid falling behind. “The way they compete is to have a depth of knowledge,” she told Forbes in 2024. A principal of a school in the Bronx, where 90 percent of the student body are minorities, she summed up the turn toward AI as a moment where “the only way you are empowered to prevent something is to understand it.”
With the prevalence of ChatGPT in terms of marketing, word of mouth and how easily it has been spotted on social media, the numbers show that while Black and Hispanic teens are more likely to use AI chatbots, the reason behind it is deeper than doing it strictly for fun, even as complex conversations continue to mount about data centers being built in primarily Black and brown neighborhoods and the fear that AI is actually failing children by removing the human aspect of critical thinking.