IBM survey finds US schools use AI faster than they are training teachers
Artificial-intelligence use is spreading through United States schools faster than formal preparation, according to an IBM-commissioned Morning Consult survey of 2,048 adults conducted in July 2026.
The sample included 1,019 K-12 education professionals and 1,029 parents. Results were weighted, and IBM reports a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points for each group. Because this was an online US survey, its findings should not be treated as a worldwide census.
Use rises sharply in secondary school
IBM reports weekly AI use among 76% of middle-school and 73% of high-school educators, compared with 45% in elementary schools. Forty-five per cent of high-school educators said they use AI daily or almost daily.
Only 20% of educators said they had received extensive AI training. Lack of training was the most commonly cited barrier at 42%, followed by limited curriculum resources at 34%.
Parents want clearer rules
Seventy-seven per cent of surveyed parents said they want input into school AI use, but only 20% said they clearly understand their school’s guidance. Respondents prioritised clearer rules and more transparency about how tools affect teaching and student data.
IBM is pairing the survey with a fellowship that will initially support up to 100 school leaders in the greater New York City area, with an expansion planned. The company’s programme is one intervention, not an independent evaluation of what every school system needs.
The central policy questions remain practical: what student data a service retains, when AI assistance must be disclosed, how teachers verify generated material and whether every student has equal access. Training should cover those issues instead of focusing only on prompt-writing.
Source: IBM survey release, including methodology.
Official survey artwork. Image: IBM.
