By Francis Ntow, GNA Special Correspondent, Bangkok
Bangkok, Oct. 14, GNA – Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in homework may improve assignment scores but reduce students’ learning and knowledge retention, Dr Ayesha Khanna, an AI expert, has said.
She called for changes in education and training to promote critical thinking, independent judgement and knowledge retention alongside AI skills.
Dr Khanna, Chief Executive Officer of Addo, a global AI solutions firm, made the call at a session on the sidelines of the 2026 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group (WBG) Annual Meetings in Thailand.
She cited research showing that children and students who used AI to complete homework achieved better assignment scores but performed worse in examinations by as much as 25 per cent.
“That means they are not retaining anything, that means they don’t know how to formulate arguments or defend their ideas, and this is a huge problem for us.
“This is very unfair on young people – that they are not given an education system that both simultaneously tells them how to work with AI, but also how to retain their ability to think for themselves,” she stated.
Dr Khanna said concerns surrounding AI use in education included critical thinking, human connection and sound judgement.
She cited changes in the education system at Carnegie Mellon University, where learning focused on problem-solving, including climate change and poverty, by combining foundational theories and principles with AI.
“What we need to do is to change the way we educate, otherwise, there’s going to be a big gap in what the market needs,” she said, adding that the approach would reflect how economies needed to function and address complex, cross-disciplinary challenges.
Dr Khanna also cited labour market data indicating that 85 per cent of job postings contained AI requirements, including a willingness to experiment and redesign business processes.
She said banning AI was not the answer because students needed AI skills for the changing world of work.
However, teaching methods needed to be redesigned to preserve human cognition.
The session was introduced by Ms Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF.
Ms Georgieva said AI could deliver productivity gains for economic growth and well-being but called for education systems and labour markets to adapt to a technology that could both substitute for and enhance human work.
She called for a human-centred approach in which AI literacy was treated as a core skill alongside the ability to question, argue and create.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Francis Ntow
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