AI in Education

A Microsoft Special Report

Introduction
The rapid ascent of generative AI is changing the way we as We’re just beginning to understand the future of AI
a society create, solve problems, learn, and communicate. in education. As we continue to learn, we believe it is
It’s an inflection point that affects every industry, and important to share our early findings. In this report, we’ll
in education, the technology can have transformational highlight insights from our research at Microsoft, as well as
impact. There is no better time to reimagine education. research from partner organizations and academia. We’ll
also share recommendations and resources to help capture
AI can enable personalized learning, free up time for the opportunities that come with this unique moment.
educators to focus on what matters most, and help address
issues of equity and accessibility. It can also improve
operational efficiency, bringing much-needed support to
overburdened administrators and IT teams.

But tapping into these advantages requires navigating both

longstanding and new challenges in the educational field.
The importance of responsible AI, trust, and transparency
are amplified when it comes to giving students quality
learning experiences and providing them with the skills
they’ll need in a rapidly changing future.

2
Key 1 Start AI Conversations Today
There is an urgent need to communicate clearly and

Takeaways
openly about AI, increase AI literacy, and create usage
guidelines at educational organizations.

2 Learn How AI Can Help

There is a clear opportunity for AI to help educators and
administrators lighten workloads, boost productivity,
and improve efficiency.

3 Explore New Ways to Learn

Early studies demonstrate the potential of AI to improve
educational experiences and learning outcomes.

4 Prepare for the Future

Students need to build people skills and technical
capacity to prepare for a world transformed by AI.

3
1
Start AI
Conversations
Today
Start AI
Conversations
Today
In education, the potential benefits of AI go beyond productivity.
AI brings opportunities to provide actionable insights, improve
learning outcomes, and make more time for human connection
and collaboration. But there are also challenges to navigate and
overcome to realize that potential.

To better understand the needs and opportunities around AI

in education, we recently surveyed educators, academic and IT
leaders, and students from K-12 and higher education institutions
about their perceptions, familiarity, uses, and concerns around AI.

5
 Exploring Unknown Territory
Bridging the AI The majority of students and educators are already using AI,
despite saying they don’t know much about it.

Literacy Gap
We found that the majority of educators, students, and
education leaders have already used AI for school-
related purposes, yet only a small percentage report a
strong familiarity with AI—in other words, their use of
AI outpaces their understanding of the technology. This
holds true for all groups, though leaders reported having
more familiarity with AI than students and educators.

This disconnect points to an urgent need to increase

AI literacy and AI integration in strategic priorities,
standards, policies, and professional development.

Source: AI in Education Microsoft Study (November 2023)

Survey questions: How much do you know about AI (prior to taking this survey)? Select only one.
Have you used or tried an AI tool or service before in your role at your educational institution or for
school-related purposes? Select only one. How often do you use AI tools/services in your role at your
educational institution or for school-related purposes? 6
 How Is AI Being Used in Education today?
Students most frequently use AI to summarize information, while educators most often use the
Use Cases technology for class planning and materials, and decision makers use it to drive process efficiency.

 mong respondents
A
who report using
AI, most people
say they use it to
enhance productivity,
personalize learning,
and improve
efficiency.

Source: AI in Education Microsoft Study (November 2023)

Survey questions: For which of the following tasks are you using AI tools in your role?
For which of the following tasks are you using AI tools as a student? 7
 What Are the Main Concerns around AI in Education?
Concerns around cheating and plagiarism call for rethinking of academic integrity policy
Challenges and assessment in a world without reliable AI detection tools.

Top concerns
highlight important
challenges to
overcome, including
data privacy and
security, equitable
access to AI tools,
and the need to offer
training and mitigate
overreliance on AI.

Source: AI in Education Microsoft Study (November 2023)

Survey question: Please select the top 3 reasons why you may be concerned about AI usage within
your school/district/university. 8
Engage with Educators and Students
Microsoft Research conducted interviews with Ultimately, both students and educators said that students
undergraduate students and educators in the UK,1 and should be taught how to use AI effectively and responsibly,
we learned that educators often simply ask students not but educators worry that providing this information will
to use AI at all, because university guidelines on AI use encourage academic dishonesty. In fact, educators said they
are often unclear and instructors fear they won’t be able even avoid discussing AI with their colleagues for fear they’ll
to tell if work is plagiarized. be judged. As a result, educators may be unsure of both
how they can use AI for teaching and how to communicate
Students, however, said they want AI to support their with students about using it.
learning—not supplant it. They still want to do their
own thinking, learning, and writing. They’re concerned A recent survey from the National 4-H Council, Hart
about overreliance on AI, and they double-check the Research, and Microsoft found similar needs for additional
outputs of AI tools for inaccurate or untrustworthy guidance in K-12 education. 72% of young people aged 9-17
information. Students said using AI for things like say they are seeking support from adults in learning how to
summarizing articles, finding source material, checking use AI correctly and confidently.
grammar, receiving feedback, and challenging their
ideas made their school work easier, more efficient, and
more enjoyable, but they’re anxious about using AI or
discussing it with educators for fear of being accused of
cheating or to be seen as unwilling to do the work.

1
Preliminary research by Auste Simkute, Viktor Kewenig, Lev Tankelevitch, Sean Rintel, and Abigail Sellen.
For further information, contact Lev Tankelevitch ([email protected]). 9
Recommendations
1
Engage with students about how they can use AI to enhance
learning without compromising academic integrity, and hear their
concerns and hopes for AI firsthand.

2
Create clear guidelines and policies for the use of AI at your
organization. Microsoft Research has found that students and
educators alike are often unclear on what guidelines are in
place around the use of AI at their institutions.

3
Incorporate AI literacy into classroom instruction and staff
training to make sure that students, teachers, and leaders
understand what AI is, how it works, and what the risks and
benefits are for both teaching and learning.

10
2
Learn
How AI
Can Help
Learn
How AI
Can Help
AI can lighten workloads and act as
a copilot to boost productivity, and the
need for these benefits is particularly
acute in education.

12
Learn How AI Can Help
Each month, the heaviest Microsoft 365 education Despite facing these significant challenges, education
users are receiving more than 500 emails and sending respondents also demonstrated ambition, innovation, and
and reading more than 800 chats to get things done. adaptability. They are more likely to:

And Microsoft found that compared to peers in other • Prioritize making team and individual work processes
industries, education professionals are more likely to: more efficient

• Have negative feelings about the meetings • Maximize the performance of their creative content
they attend
• Benefit from identifying recent trends related to their jobs
• Spend more time than they want checking and
responding to chats and emails AI tools can help education professionals ease pain points
and make better use of opportunities. The 2023 LinkedIn
• Struggle with not having enough focus time Future of Work Report found that while more than half of an
educator’s job involves specialized people skills best performed
by humans, like classroom management and instruction, AI
can enable greater productivity in tasks like lesson planning
and curriculum development, which make up 45% of teachers’
responsibilities. That frees up time for educators to do the
things only humans can do—like connect with students.

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 An Outsized ROI
Educational institutions that have adopted AI achieved a significant
Learn How AI Can Help return on investment over a relatively short time—important factors
in a sector where budgets and timelines are typically tight.
An IDC Study on the opportunity of
AI in education found that, while it
is still early for many institutions,
education respondents believe that
they are getting an average of 3.4x Education respondents believe they
return on their investment for AI are getting an average of 3.4x return on
their investment for AI initiatives just 15
initiatives, citing benefits including months after implementation.

faster innovation, reduced institutional

risk, and faster time to market for new
education services and experiences.

52% 40%
of respondents aross
of education
respondents reported all other industries
average AI timelines of reported timelines of
6 months or less 6 months or less

Source: IDC infographic, sponsored by Microsoft, Finding High-Impact Opportunities for AI in

Education, Doc. US51871924, March 2024 14
 The Need for AI Strategy
The Preparedness The majority of educational institutions lack an integrated AI
strategy, which is key to safely and effectively capturing the

Paradox
opportunities presented by new technologies.

Educational institutions are moving fast when it comes to AI,

and they’re seeing significant returns on their investment.
Educational
However, IDC’s research found that education leaders institutions
feel less prepared for AI-driven change than their peers in without an AI
other industries. strategy in place

This is likely due to two key factors: lack of skilled talent and
lack of strategy. In fact, 60% of education respondents in Educational
institutions that
IDC’s survey noted that “lack of skilled talent” was the most have an AI strategy
significant challenge they face when it comes to implementing but have failed
AI. That survey also showed that 57% of educational to align it with their
institution’s overall
institutions either do not have an AI strategy in place at all, or
strategic objectives
they have an AI strategy but have failed to align that strategy
with their institution’s overall strategic objectives—compared
to just 36% of organizations across industries.

Source: IDC infographic, sponsored by Microsoft, Finding High-Impact

Opportunities for AI in Education, Doc. US51871924, March 2024 15
Recommendations
1
Establish an oversight committee or governing body to define
and steer AI strategy, responsible use policies, governance models,
and priorities.

2
Prepare for change by building a centralized, cross-functional AI
team that can connect AI initiatives to the organization’s existing
priorities and create training opportunities.

3
Prioritize high-value, low-complexity AI use cases. Start small,
collect and respond to feedback, and plan for scalable and
impactful solutions.

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3
Explore
New Ways
to Learn
 How AI Helps Students Learn
AI has the most positive impact on learning when students first
try to solve problems on their own, with AI providing explanations

Explore New
along with correct answers.

Ways to Learn
One of the most important questions yet to be answered about generative
AI is if it can truly improve student learning at scale. Research to date
indicates that it can, particularly when AI is intentionally designed to act
as a personalized tutor.

Recent studies point toward the importance of designing tools to act

as coaches that encourage learning and engagement rather than simply
giving responses. In one of the first randomized experiments on large
language models (LLMs) and education, Microsoft Research and Harsh
Kumar from the University of Toronto found that LLM-based explanations
positively impacted learning relative to seeing only correct answers, but the
benefits were largest for students who attempted problems on their own
before consulting the LLM.

Source: Kumar, Harsh and Rothschild, David M. and Goldstein,

Daniel G. and Hofman, Jake M., Math Education with
Large Language Models: Peril or Promise? (November 22, 2023)
Error bars show one standard error above and below
average accuracy in each condition. 18
Embracing AI to
Empower Students
Educational institutions worldwide are exploring opportunities to
empower students by embracing AI that is intentionally designed to act
as an educational coach.

• New York City Public Schools created an AI-powered teaching assistant

that answers questions and provides real-time feedback. Over a two-week
period, nearly 100 students in three classes asked the AI assistant more than
2,000 questions, far more than the three teachers could have answered. The
chatbot responds to questions by offering hints in order to push students
and keep them thinking rather than giving an answer right away.

• The South Australia Department for Education built EdChat to offer 24/7
access to a safe source of instantaneous information. EdChat ensures
that students can get quick answers before discussing more complex and
nuanced questions with teachers. So far, educators say EdChat is also
helping with metacognition—students’ understanding of how they learn,
ask the right questions to get the information they need, and evaluate the
outputs of AI models.

19
Increasing Access
to Coaching One student noted
that it “felt like having
A 2023 study by Harvard University and Yale University professors a personal tutor...I
found that AI has the potential to give students in very large classes
an experience that approximates an ideal one-to-one relationship love how AI bots will
between educator and student. Harvard University’s CS50: Introduction
to Computer Science is a massive open online course (MOOC) that has
answer questions
more than 5 million registrants—needless to say, many of those students without ego and
never have the chance to speak with an instructor. Harvard created
course-specific AI tools to give students customized, 24/7 support that without judgment,
guides them toward solutions rather than offer answers. Students in the generally entertaining
even the stupidest
study said they appreciated the always-available coaching, but perhaps
more importantly, they asked the AI questions they may not have felt
comfortable asking an instructor.
of questions without
treating them like
they’re stupid.”

20
Recommendations
1
Encourage a growth mindset. Lead by example to develop a
culture of learning, iteration, and curiosity.

2
Learn from others. Explore the growing list of resources focused
on AI in education, learn about examples of innovation, ask
questions, and talk to your peers about their experiences with AI.

3
Be intentional in your design of new AI experiences. Focus on
the desired outcome: what is your goal and how might AI help
you achieve it?

21
4 Prepare for
the Future
 New Skills for an Evolving Future
The jobs of the future will demand capabilities that students need to develop now.

Prepare for
the Future
Just as the future of education is evolving,
so are the career skills students need for
the AI-powered future of work. The ability
to work effectively and iteratively with AI
using natural language will be essential for
every employee. 82% of leaders surveyed
for Microsoft’s 2023 Work Trend Index
say employees will need new skills to be
prepared for the growth of AI.

Source: Microsoft Work Trend Index: Annual Report (May 9, 2023)

Survey question: Based on your current understanding of artificial intelligence (AI),
how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? I anticipate my
employees will need to learn new skills or upskill to be prepared for the growth of AI. 23
 The Capabilities Needed for the AI Era
Learning to work alongside AI is not just about technical skills. It will be necessary
Prepare for the Future to develop new analytical, emotional, and critical thinking skills.

The most important skills for the future

include analytical judgment, flexibility,
emotional intelligence, creative evaluation,
and directing and evaluating AI.

Indeed, the Microsoft New Future of Work

Report notes that as AI is increasingly
used to find, summarize, and generate
content, the skills that are most important
for employees will be focused on
analyzing and integrating AI outputs
rather than searching for information and
creating content from scratch.

Source: Microsoft Work Trend Index: Annual Report (May 9, 2023)

Survey question: Some believe that it is likely that artificial intelligence (AI) will usher in a new
era of technological advancements. Which of the following skills do you think will be most
essential for your employees to learn to evolve with these potential changes? 24
Prioritizing People Skills
In an AI-augmented world, employers are prioritizing capabilities that
are uniquely human. Since the launch of ChatGPT, some of the fastest-
growing skills in job postings in the US are people skills. According to the
2023 LinkedIn Future of Work Report, 92% of US executives agree that
people skills are more important than ever. Communication is an
in-demand skill, and employers are increasingly looking for capabilities
such as flexibility, professional ethics, social perceptiveness, and
self-management.

New IDC research sponsored by Microsoft confirms that business

leaders are seeking new hires with soft skills like flexibility and creative
problem-solving. And when evaluating technical skills, they rank
effective use of Microsoft Office, data management and analysis, project
management, and business intelligence at the top. This points to the
need for educators to develop a new mix of skills to prepare students
for future careers.

25
Recommendations
1
Teach students metacognitive skills, or the ability to analyze,
understand, and control their own thought processes. For
example, educators might prompt students to explain why they
agree or disagree with an AI-generated output.

2
Use AI tools as “provocateurs” that spark discussion, challenge
assumptions, and encourage evaluation rather than provide
answers. For example, when using AI to summarize an article,
teach students to follow up with queries like, “what further
questions should I ask?”

3
Don’t over-index on tech skills. While technological expertise is
important, it’s crucial to develop the human-centered skills that
will be prized in a technology-augmented future.

26
Get Started
with Microsoft
Get Started with Microsoft
At Microsoft, we’re on a mission to enable • Family Safety Toolkit: A toolkit with guidance Develop AI guidance
equitable education for all. That means for families on how to navigate the world
providing the tools and the technology for of generative AI together and how to Microsoft is partnering with organizations
students, educators, administrators, and staff. leverage Microsoft’s safety features and such as TeachAI to build resources like the AI
family safety settings to support and enhance Guidance for Schools Toolkit to help education
Learn about AI and develop key skills digital parenting. authorities, school leaders, and teachers create
guidelines that enable them to realize the
• AI for Educators Learning Path: A resource • Copilot Lab: A collection of resources and benefits of incorporating AI in primary and
that explores the potential of AI in education, information to help you learn about Copilot, secondary education while understanding and
covering AI fundamentals, enhancing prompting, privacy and more. mitigating potential risks.
teaching and learning with Copilot, and
supporting learners. • Microsoft AI Learning Hub: Information
geared toward helping upskill, prepare for AI,
• AI Classroom Toolkit: A creative resource and earn Microsoft credentials.
designed to help educators have important
conversations with students about
responsible AI practices in the classroom.

28
Try AI-powered products available at no Read more about Microsoft Education Explore the latest insights and research
cost to educators and students from Microsoft
• Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft AI can transform
productivity for everyone—from staff and
• Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant—be • Watch Jaime Teevan’s Keynote at Bett UK
researchers to IT pros and developers.
sure to log in with your school account for 2024 - Thrive with AI: Lead Like a Scientist
commercial data protection. • Microsoft Education AI Toolkit: A resource for
• WorkLab: Hard Data, Compelling Stories, Vital
education leaders to help develop AI plans
• Reading Coach improves reading fluency by Insights (microsoft.com)
for their institutions. Review examples and
using AI to help students generate custom
materials to help you get started, and evaluate • The New Future of Work - Microsoft Research
stories and provide personalized feedback.
and implement AI solutions.
• Learning Accelerators provide students with
• Technology Solutions for Schools | Microsoft
real-time coaching and feedback and give
Education: Microsoft annually provides billions
educators actionable analytics and insights.
of dollars in no-cost and discounted learning
• GitHub Copilot is available at no cost for tools, software, and services for students,
verified teachers and students to help users faculty, and staff around the world in order to
learn to write code and develop applications. enable equitable education for all.

29
References
AI in Education study Youth AI Use & Understanding Survey Science Education. In Proceedings of the 55th
The AI in Education Microsoft study was The survey released by the National 4-H ACM Technical Symposium on Computer
conducted in partnership with PSB Insights Council, which included 1,510 children ages Science Education V. 1 (SIGCSE 2024), March
among 1,800 respondents from K-12 and higher 9-17, was fielded from November 5-16, 2023 20–23, 2024, Portland, OR, USA. ACM, New
education organizations including students, by Hart Research and supported by Microsoft. York, NY, USA, 7 pages.
educators, and academic and IT leaders. Leader Microsoft 365 usage patterns
data points include both academic and IT Math Education with Large Language
Models: Peril or Promise? Usage patterns in Microsoft 365 in a rolling
decision makers. The online quantitative survey
28-day period ending in January 2024. Each
was fielded October 27 - November 21 2023 Kumar, Harsh and Rothschild, David M.
data point evaluates the top 20% of users
in the US. and Goldstein, Daniel G. and Hofman, Jake
by volume within the relevant Microsoft 365
M., Math Education with Large Language
Generative AI & Undergraduate Education application. Data represents education users
Models: Peril or Promise? (November 22,
– An Interview Study in the United States.
2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/
Preliminary research by Auste Simkute, Viktor abstract=4641653 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ IDC infographic, Sponsored by Microsoft,
Kewenig, Lev Tankelevitch, Sean Rintel, ssrn.4641653 Finding High-Impact Opportunities for AI in
and Abigail Sellen. For further information, Education, Doc. US51871924 (March 2024)
contact Lev Tankelevitch (lev.tankelevitch@ Teaching CS50 with AI
microsoft.com). Rongxin Liu, Carter Zenke, Charlie Liu, Andrew IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Microsoft, Thriving
Holmes, Patrick Thornton, and David J. Malan. in an AI-Driven Future: Defining Critical Skills
2024. Teaching CS50 with AI: Leveraging and Tools as Jobs Evolve, IDC Document
Generative Artificial Intelligence in Computer #US51794024 (February 2024)

30
References

Work Trend Index Annual Report

(May 2023)
The Work Trend Index survey was conducted and region; each sample included a mix of
by an independent research firm, Edelman work environments (in-person, remote vs.
Data x Intelligence, among 31,000 full-time non-remote, office settings vs. non-office
employed or self-employed workers across 31 settings, etc.), industries, company sizes,
markets between February 1, 2023, and March tenures, and job levels.
14, 2023. This survey was 20 minutes in length
and conducted online, in either the English Markets surveyed include:
language or translated into a local language Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
across markets. One thousand full-time Colombia, Czech Republic, Finland, France,
workers were surveyed in each market, and Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy,
global results have been aggregated across all Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New
responses to provide an average. Each market Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South
is evenly weighted within the global average. Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan,
Each market was sampled to be representative Thailand, United Kingdom, United States,
of the full-time workforce across age, gender, and Vietnam.

31
References

Work Trend Index Special Report

(November 2023)
The survey was conducted by an independent Accounting, Information Technology and Tech
research firm, Edelman Data x Intelligence, Infrastructure, Marketing and Public Relations,
among 18,100 full-time employed or Sales and Business Development, and Supply
self-employed workers across 12 markets Chain and Logistics. The sample also included
between July 21, 2023, and November 1, a mix of work environments (in-person, remote
2023. This survey was 20 minutes in length vs. non-remote, office settings vs. non-office
and conducted online, in either the English settings, etc.), industries including education,
language or translated into a local language company sizes, tenures, and job levels.
across markets. At least 1,000 full-time workers
were surveyed in each market, and global Regions surveyed include:
results have been aggregated across all Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America,
responses to provide an average. Each market North America
is evenly weighted within the global average.
Each sample included an even distribution
across Customer Service, Finance and

32