AI Tutors: Friend, Foe, or Faculty Ally? Here's What the Data Says

What happens when students turn to AI instead of instructors for help? In this episode of The What and Who of EDU, we unpack the rise of AI tutors in higher ed and explore the promise, the pitfalls, and everything in between. From a history lesson that starts in the 1960s (yep, really) to fresh 2025 data from Macmillan Learning, this episode breaks down what AI tutoring tools can actually do for student learning. Along the way, you'll hear how these tools help or hinder student persistence, academic honesty, their grades, and even the environment

We wrap with 10 practical tips to help educators make the most of AI tutors without losing their minds (or their syllabi).

Brought to you by Macmillan Learning

🧠 Today's Syllabus:

01:42  -  Chapter 1: Intro to AI & AI Tutors in the class
04:41  -  Chapter 2: Where AI tutoring started—and how far it's come
08:01  -  Chapter 3: Why AI tutors might boost confidence, persistence, and performance
14:12  -  Chapter 4: What to watch out for: overuse, offloading, and digital divides
21:45  -  Chapter 5: 10 classroom-tested tips to use AI wisely

 📖 Required Reading:

Here are links to the studies we discussed as well as some of the featured products.

Learn more about Macmillan Learning's AI Tutor: how it works, what it's designed to do, and what real students and instructors are saying. https://go.macmillanlearning.com/achieve-ai-education 

📊 AI Usage, Efficacy & Adoption:

Statista: Global AI Use by Students (2024): https://www.statista.com/statistics/1498309/usage-of-ai-by-students-worldwide/

Campus Technology: 86% of Students Use AI Weekly (2024): https://campustechnology.com/articles/2024/08/28/survey-86-of-students-already-use-ai-in-their-studies.aspx

HEPI 2025 Student Academic Experience Survey
https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/02/26/student-generative-ai-survey-2025/#:~:text=In%202025%2C%20we%20find%20that,increases%20from%20the%202024%20Survey.

Students Using Macmillan Learning AI Tutor Show Improved Problem Solving Skills, Confidence and Engagement
https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/press-release/bg-p/press-releases

From Copy-Paste to Critical Thinking: 10 AI Guardrails and Hacks Every Educator Needs https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EAtjtoo559NNOnnyBzDRe?si=smAo_mO9T7KJIqT1wGPylA

🧠 History of AI & EdTech:

Teaching Machines – B.F. Skinner (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_machine

PLATO System Origins (Ars Technica):
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/03/plato-how-an-educational-computer-system-from-the-60s-shaped-the-future/

Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Historical Survey (arXiv)
https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.09628

AI Tutoring Meta-Analysis (APA)
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/edu-a0037123.pdf

IES Cognitive Tutor Evaluation (US Dept of Ed)
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_cognitivetutor_062116.pdf

💻 Student Experience, Equity & Offloading:

Syracuse University Fluency Report: Bridging the AI Digital Divide (2025)
https://newhouse.syracuse.edu/research/research-spaces/emerging-insights-lab/2024-25-fluency-report-bridging-the-ai-digital-divide/

MDPI: Cognitive Offloading & Learning
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/6

Sparrow, Liu, & Wegner (2011) – Google Effects on Memory
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-18065-002

🔐 Integrity, Ethics, Privacy:

ICAI: Academic Integrity Survey Data (2020) https://academicintegrity.org/aws/ICAI/pt/sp/facts

Bretag (2013). Addressing Plagiarism in Education
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3876970/#s4

MIT: Generative AI's Carbon Footprint (2025)
https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117

📱 Additional EdTech Examples:

Duolingo & Microlearning Impact (Vorecol):
https://vorecol.com/blogs/blog-the-impact-of-mobile-learning-apps-on-the-automation-of-student-progress-tracking-in-lms-187593

Office Hours: 

📞 If you have ideas on AI that you'd like to share with us, drop us a voicemail at (512) 765-4688, and you could be featured in a future episode! 

📨 If you have an idea for a show or would like to be a guest, send us an email at: TheWhatAndWhoOfEDU@macmillan.com.. 

For more information about our hosts, you can visit us at https://go.macmillanlearning.com/the-what-and-who-of-edu