Many of the articles about AI in education seem to paint a similar picture: students using it for shortcuts, teachers battling the burnout of detection, and institutions working to adapt.
But I see something more human, simply put, I’m seeing evidence that students are people just like the rest of us. They seek solutions and efficiencies when they’re overwhelmed. They look for meaning when they can, and they try to push through when they can’t.
Our innate drive to learn has been shaped by millions of years of evolution. Truly, our curiosities have driven us to explore, experiment, and create (including AI itself), and this won't be undone by a few years with a new technology.
What’s Happening?
AI tools aren’t causing distinctly new behaviors; they’re making existing ones more apparent. And maybe that’s a good thing.
Humans seek out efficiencies. Students are no exception. Those who were looking for shortcuts before are still looking now. This doesn’t mean students are lazy or that they’ve stopped thinking. And it certainly doesn’t mean they’ve stopped caring.
In fact, much of what we’re seeing with AI highlights long-standing challenges in education:
- Assessments that emphasize performance over process
- Standardized formats that limit expression and exploration
- High-stakes environments where correctness outweighs curiosity
AI may be making these tensions harder to ignore. It’s revealing just how easily performance-driven tasks can be completed by intelligent systems. For students who feel more pressure to perform than permission to explore, AI may be seen as a solution for getting it done.
Students as Strategists
A robust body of research shows that humans conserve cognitive effort under pressure—especially when motivation is low or the stakes are high. In those moments, students often choose the most efficient route to completion. That’s not a failure of character. That’s a strategy.
But this creates a real tension: students are optimizing, while educators are invested in upholding the integrity of learning. The impulse to cut corners may seem dishonest, realistically it’s deeply human.
We’ve evolved to explore and survive. To do more with less. And just as efficiencies have helped us endure, so has curiosity. We don’t need to question whether students care any more. We’d be better off reflecting on which of their instincts the environment is encouraging.
Creating Conditions for Curiosity
Curiosity is not gone. It’s not a relic. It thrives under the right environmental conditions. It’s sensitive to design and tends to emerge when someone:
- Realizes they don’t know something (but feel like they could)
- Has enough safety and freedom to pursue the unknown
- Feels that the answer matters to them
- Is invited to explore the edges of their understanding
Notice how coverage requirements, assessment pressures, and time constraints are not listed above. When students encounter these situations, can we blame them if their natural curiosity seeks alternative outlets?
Some of the best learning environments share certain qualities. They invite genuine exploration, connect to students' interests and experiences, and create space for questions to emerge naturally. And what's exciting about intelligent systems is that they can be leveraged to help with this. Students could explore counterarguments. They could experiment with multiple voices or styles. They could push back, reflect, and revise.
When given the right instructions for engaging with AI, many of them will.
The Human Element Remains Central
The most effective teachers have always understood something fundamental: learning is relational. They build trust, adapt to individual needs, and create space for intellectual growth. Teachers are already doing the essential work of sparking wonder, facilitating discussions, and helping students make sense of complex ideas. Technology can amplify distinctly human capabilities, such as the curiosity that sparks meaningful learning.
Our fundamental drives to understand, to connect, to create don't disappear because a new technology enters our world.
Curiosity isn't fragile. It's one of our more enduring characteristics as a species. And the opportunities ahead can capitalize on this by designing learning experiences that honor and activate the curiosity that's always been there, waiting for the right invitation.
* Photo adapted from Myers, D. G. (2007). Psychology (8th ed.). Worth Publishers.
