AI Use Contributes to Global Decline in Student Reading Skills, OECD Says

Live updates

1. 4h ago

   OECD Warns AI Accelerates Global Decline in Student Reading Skills

   Global academic performance for 15-year-olds has reached the weakest levels since testing began 25 years ago across 91 countries. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development attributes the downward trend partly to artificial intelligence use, warning that chatbots shortcut learning and create classroom distractions. Nearly half of students in member nations use AI chatbots weekly or more. In the United States, four in five students use AI for schoolwork, while only six percent of teachers say their school maintains a clear policy on the technology.

   Why it matters

   Global student performance has dropped significantly as academic scores hit alarming lows, with reading, math, and science affected. While high-school students in Asia continue to outperform Western peers, U.S. student scores have reached a two-point low over two decades alongside falling family interest in education. The rapid adoption of classroom technology without institutional guardrails creates severe challenges for educators.

   What is confirmed

   • The world's 15-year-olds are reading, calculating, and reasoning at the weakest levels recorded since global testing began 25 years ago across 91 countries.
   • Nearly half of students in OECD member countries use AI chatbots weekly or more to help them learn.

   Still unconfirmed

   • Four in five US students are using AI for schoolwork, according to Stanford's AI Index.
   • Half of schools have no policy regarding artificial intelligence use.
   • Only 6% of teachers say their school has a clear AI policy.
   • England bucked the global decline in reading while Wales fell behind.
   • The fastest adoption of educational AI is occurring outside the West.

   What to watch next

   • Implementation of formal AI policies by school districts
   • Further regional breakdowns of PISA educational metrics
   • OECD policy recommendations regarding classroom technology restrictions
   Sources used for this update (4)

   1. www.baltimoresun.com — Reading scores slide amid worries that artificial intelligence shortcuts learning
   2. www.yahoo.com — Across 91 countries, study says AI may be making an 'entire generation less capable'
   3. thenextweb.com — Only 6% of teachers say their school’s AI policy is clear
   4. theconversation.com — Pisa results: England bucks global decline in reading and Wales falls behind
   confidence 90%
2. 6d ago

   Global Student Reading Scores Drop in OECD Assessment

   Student academic performance on international exams has dropped across much of the developed world, with reading and math scores hitting alarming lows. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development attributes the global decline in student reading skills partly to artificial intelligence use, which officials warn is shortcutting learning and fueling digital distractions. Meanwhile, families show falling interest in children's education as scores fall. High-school students across Asia continue to pull ahead of Western peers in reading, science, and math, while U.S. student scores have reached their lowest point in two decades.

   Why it matters

   The newly released PISA 2025 results highlight a deepening global reading and math crisis affecting 15-year-olds in numerous countries. Kazakhstan achieved long-term science gains despite dropping math scores, though foundational skill challenges remain widespread in the region. As artificial intelligence reshapes how young people learn, the findings spark urgent debates about digital distractions and academic shortcuts.

   What is confirmed

   • The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development states that AI use contributes to the global decline in student reading skills.
   • U.S. student scores on the international test reached their lowest point in two decades.
   • PISA 2025 results published on September 8 put Kazakhstan's average scores at 420 points in science, 385 in reading and 414 in math.
   • Some 41.1% of Kazakhstani 15-year-olds performed below the baseline proficiency threshold in science, reading and math simultaneously.

   Still unconfirmed

   • AI use combined with training to assess its results can give test scores a boost.

   What to watch next

   • Further regional breakdowns and policy responses from education ministers regarding AI tools in schools
   • Additional data releases from the OECD PISA 2025 evaluation series
   Sources used for this update (14)

   1. baynews9.com — Tampa Bay-area blood donations rebound after summer decline, OneBlood says
   2. The New York Times — U.S. Reading Scores Plummet on Global Exam
   3. The Economist — Are teenagers growing dimmer?
   4. wsj.com — AI Use Contributes to Global Decline in Student Reading Skills, OECD Says
   5. dw.com — PISA test reveals alarming drop in reading and math skills
   6. The Washington Post — U.S. students’ scores on international test reach lowest point in 2 decades
   7. jen.jiji.com — Kazakhstan records long-term gains in science as math scores fall in PISA 2025
   8. NBC News — Families’ interest in their kids’ education is falling around the globe as scores drop, test shows
   9. www.theverge.com — Students who use AI generally score worse at school
   10. eualive.net — PISA: Global student performance falls as reading crisis deepens
   11. www.cnn.com — Asian teens race ahead of US peers for reading, science and math in global rankings
   12. cnycentral.com — Reading scores slide amid worries that AI is shortcutting learning
   confidence 90%