AI has not reduced teacher workload so far, according to a YouGov survey.
Artificial intelligence has rapidly entered UK schools, with around 80% of teachers now using it regularly. However, the expectation that it would help with long working hours has yet to materialise.
AI use figures
New research from YouGov and Bett, based on a poll of 1,033 teachers, found that AI adoption among educators has doubled in just one year. Despite this, the impact on their workload is mixed – 51% of AI-using teachers report some reduction in workload, yet only 35% say they are actually working fewer hours. In fact, 55% continue to work the same number of hours as before, and 4% say their hours have actually increased.
It’s clear that the time teachers are saving by using AI on certain tasks is quickly absorbed by other demands. Even with AI assistance, teachers remain stretched, with many still working for more than 50 hours per week.
How teachers are using AI
Educators are deploying AI across a range of administrative and planning tasks. The most common uses include lesson planning and creating worksheets, communication and reporting, and marking students’ work.
These patterns show that AI is currently acting as a useful admin assistant to teachers, rather than taking on any significant role to permanently reduce workload.
Student use
AI is also changing how students learn. Among secondary school teachers, 71% believe that AI has made it easier for students to cheat undetected. Moreover, 57% suspect that at least one pupil in the past four weeks has submitted AI-assisted work without permission.
Moving forward
The survey results come just as the UK government rolls out a £23 million trial programme aimed at using AI and educational technology to improve outcomes and reduce teacher workload. Yet these findings suggest that AI alone won’t ease the workload burden.
It’s clear from the survey that AI can help teachers, but without structural changes to the current system of workload expectations, it won’t deliver the reduction in hours that is needed.
