Artificial intelligence has moved quickly from a niche classroom tool to a national education debate as schools, colleges and families weigh how much of it students should be allowed to use. That debate sharpened on September 17, when new polling reported that a majority of American adults now see AI as more harmful than helpful in schools. The findings add fresh national data to an argument already shaping district policy, teacher guidance and family expectations across the country.
Poll finds majority sees harm in K-12 and higher education
The NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey found that 53% of U.S. adults believe AI is doing more harm than good in K-12 education, while 27% said it is doing more good than harm, according to NBC News reporting published September 17. In higher education, the numbers were similar, with 54% saying AI does more harm than good and 24% saying it does more good than harm. The poll surveyed 7,105 adults online from August 20 through September 1 and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
The survey also found a notable shift in attitudes about what kind of school best prepares students for the future. According to NBC News, 56% of respondents said a school that prohibits AI would better help students prepare, while 44% said a school that integrates AI tools into the classroom would do a better job. NBC News said that marks a 9-point increase for the anti-AI position and a 9-point drop for the pro-integration position compared with the outlet’s June 2025 survey.
On student use, the poll showed Americans were not rejecting every classroom use of AI. NBC News reported that 49% of adults said proofreading and editing with AI was acceptable, 41% said using it for research and brainstorming was acceptable, and 38% said it was acceptable for organizing or outlining ideas. At the same time, 31% said no AI use was acceptable for schoolwork, while just 7% said it was acceptable for students to have AI generate writing for them.
The poll is national, but its practical effect is local because district rules on AI are often written school by school and state by state. NBC News reported that parents and education advocates have raised concerns that AI use can weaken students’ educational growth, and some districts have already enacted restrictions. Those decisions determine what students can do on assignments, what teachers may permit, and how schools define cheating, assistance and authorship.
One of the clearest recent examples came from New York City. NBC News reported this month that the city restricted student AI use until high school, allowing only limited uses after that point. That move affects the nation’s largest school district and reflects how large systems are trying to draw lines between exposure to the technology and unrestricted use of it in day-to-day coursework.
What is not yet known from the NBC poll is how those opinions break down in a comprehensive way by state, school district or local demographic group. The poll provides a national snapshot, but it does not function as a district-by-district policy map. That leaves room for continued variation, with some schools moving toward restrictions and others still building AI into instruction, tutoring or administrative planning.
The shift appears to be tied to growing unease about how AI changes the learning process rather than simple resistance to technology. NBC News reported that a rising share of adults now believes schools that avoid AI will better help students grow. The same survey found many respondents were willing to accept limited uses such as proofreading or brainstorming, suggesting concern is centered more on substitution for student thinking than on every use of the software.
That distinction matters for educators and families because it mirrors how many schools are writing rules. Broadly, the public appears more open to AI as an assistive tool than as a replacement for reading, writing or original analysis. The poll’s low support for AI-generated writing, at 7%, underscores that many adults draw a line at having software produce work students are expected to do themselves.
Public officials are also signaling that AI is likely to remain part of the education landscape even as restrictions spread. NBC News reported that first lady Melania Trump told the outlet this week that students need hands-on experience with AI because it will shape their futures, while also saying they need to be vigilant. For families and schools, the immediate takeaway is not a national ban, but a period of tighter rules, narrower approved uses and continued debate over where AI belongs in the classroom.