PISA: AI use and student performance
From the early edition, with research available through September 12, 2026 (UTC).
OECD reading scores fell 14 points from 2022. PISA links AI use for summarizing, drafting, and preliminary research with lower science scores. Weekly use for general learning shows similar scores to non-use; opportunities to assess AI information accompany better results among frequent users.
Why it matters for leaders
Protect independent reading and reasoning. Teach students to check AI claims, and ensure those lessons reach every school. Use local evidence of unaided mastery to evaluate pilots.
The evidence
More than 760,000 students participated across 91 countries and economies. AI analyses combine assessed performance with reported use and adjust for socioeconomic status.
Who was studied
Direct K-12 evidence: 15-year-olds, 91 systems
What the evidence cannot tell us
These are associations. They cannot establish that AI caused score declines or that AI-literacy lessons caused improvement. Disadvantaged students report fewer opportunities to evaluate AI information.
Read the original sources
Summary and leadership analysis from the September 6–13, 2026 brief. The edition’s selection notes explain source access and evidence limitations.