Nearly all Seoul students use generative AI as teachers warn of overreliance

Over 90 percent of teachers express concerns of overdependence, but less than half teach generative AI use in classrooms

A classroom at a middle school in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, is pictured on Dec. 1. (Yonhap)

Nearly 95 percent of middle and high school students in Seoul have experience using generative AI tools, a study revealed Sunday, and more than 90 percent of teachers have expressed concerns about students’ growing reliance on such technology.

According to the July 2025 study by the Seoul Education Research and Information Institute, 94.7 percent of the 26,541 students surveyed had used generative AI, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Specifically, 93.8 percent of middle school students and 96.7 percent of high school students said they had used generative AI tools at least once.

Among students who used generative AI, 80 percent reported it was for academic purposes, with 42.5 percent using it for classroom activities and 35.7 percent for independent study.

Students were found to use generative AI more frequently in language-related subjects such as Korean and English. More than 60 percent of students reported using the tools in language classes, compared with 38.3 percent in math, and less than 20 percent in music and art.

In Korean classes, students said they used generative AI to create written assignments, presentations and visual infographics, as well as to summarize reading passages. In English classes, students reported using the tools to translate sentences and vocabulary and to check pronunciation.

The widespread use of generative AI among students has fueled concerns among teachers about overreliance.

Some 93.4 percent of the 3,334 teachers surveyed said they believed students were overly dependent on generative AI tools, while 92.4 percent expressed concern about potential plagiarism. Another 92.5 percent said they worried students would passively consume information, undermining their ability to think critically.

However, fewer than half of teachers (47.6 percent) said they had taught students how to use generative AI in class.

Among those who did not teach generative AI use, the most common reason, at 37.7 percent, was a lack of time after covering other lessons. This was followed by teachers saying they did not fully understand generative AI (22.8 percent) or did not think teaching it was necessary (12.2 percent).

More than 60 percent of teachers used generative AI for classroom operations. Some 58.3 percent reported using it to write student evaluations, while 18.9 percent used it to prepare lesson plans.

Seven in 10 teachers said they had incorporated generative AI into classroom activities, with more than 60 percent using it to assess students’ work.