When to use AI and when to rely on teacher expertise
Not every task benefits equally from AI. Effective use begins with task triage—deciding which work is deeply human and context-dependent, and which is more administrative, structural, or repeatable. Tasks involving sensitive information, such as student behavior, mental health, or parent communication, may involve AI in limited ways but should remain human led tasks. In these situations, professional judgment, empathy, and school context are essential, and AI should never serve as the final decision-maker.
AI is most effective when supporting work that is time-intensive but not relationship-dependent. Examples of AI-assisted tasks include aligning lessons to standards, generating draft lesson structures, creating practice questions, suggesting rubric criteria, or summarizing content for differentiation. Shifting administrative and preparatory work to AI reduces cognitive load and frees time for instruction, student relationships, and responsive teaching—areas where human expertise matters most.
