*Black teenagers are using artificial intelligence tools for schoolwork at significantly higher rates than their white peers, according to a recent Pew Research Center study.
According to Word In Black, researchers surveyed nearly 1,450 teens aged 13 to 17 during the fall to examine how AI is influencing homework, research, and study habits. The study reveals a striking divide: almost six in ten Black teens reported using AI for academic help, compared with roughly half that share among white teens. Black students also rated AI chatbots as extremely or very helpful at twice the rate of white teens, 40% versus 20%, while Hispanic teens fell in the middle at 30%. Moreover, Black students were the most likely to indicate that AI handles a majority of their schoolwork.
Overall, AI adoption among teens has grown rapidly. Pew’s 2024 research found that 26% of teens used ChatGPT for academic purposes, up from 13% the year prior. The new data shows that more than half of all teens now rely on AI to research topics and receive direct assistance with assignments.
Dr. José Luis Vilson, executive director of the nonprofit EduColor, sees these differences as reflective of broader educational inequities. He noted that Black students may turn to AI because they lack the human support that more affluent, white students often have. “That includes tutoring, that includes mentoring,” Vilson said, adding that white and affluent students “are able to have more access to tutoring services from different people as opposed to these folks who can access a chatbot.”
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Vilson cautioned about unsupervised AI use in classrooms. “It’s like grammar check on steroids,” he said. “Learning, it’s not just that it generates a bunch of things that sound smart, it’s actually about being smart.”
He emphasized that the findings reveal more than just technology trends. “I think when you have data like this, it speaks less to the tool and more to why students are feeling the way they are about the educational prospects,” he said.
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