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Educational chatbots can offer quick explanations, feedback and study support, but there is not enough evidence here to say they reliably improve long-term learning or can replace teachers. The clearest account of both their promise and their risks comes from students describing how they use them—not from a test proving lasting academic gains or harms.
What counts as an AI companion in education?
Here, “AI companion” means a conversational chatbot or tutoring-style system used for learning. It does not mean that evidence has established the value of a persistent, lifelong learning partner. UNESCO’s 2021 policy guidance discussed that lifelong-companion idea as a possible form of continuous personalized support, but its discussion is not proof that such a system works or a current inventory of available products.
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That distinction matters: a chatbot that explains a concept or responds to a question may be useful in a particular study session. A companion expected to follow a learner over years raises wider questions about accuracy, privacy, bias, consent and human oversight. The evidence discussed here chiefly concerns educational AI chatbots and policy priorities, not a validated product or long-term companion relationship.
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In a 2025 preprint, Griffin Pitts, Viktoria Marcus and Sanaz Motamedi analyzed 262 undergraduate responses from one large U.S. public university. Students identified feedback and study support, instruction, access to information, productivity and creativity among the potential benefits of educational chatbots.
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The authors categorized 745 distinct statements in the responses. Their analysis included 92 statements about feedback and study support and 89 about instruction. These are counts from that sample and coding exercise, not estimates of how many students generally find chatbots useful.
Those reported benefits point to practical uses: asking for another explanation, getting feedback while working through a task, or using a chatbot to explore an idea. But a student’s perception that a tool helped is not the same as evidence that it improved understanding, retention or performance. The preprint describes student perspectives; it does not establish a causal learning effect.
Can an AI tutor replace a teacher?
The available evidence does not establish that a chatbot can replace a teacher. A conversational system may respond to a question or provide tutoring-style support, but those capabilities do not show that it can understand a student’s full circumstances, reliably identify misconceptions, or take responsibility for instruction over time.
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Policy guidance describes possible uses without endorsing a particular system. The U.S. Department of Education’s July 22, 2025 guidance discusses AI-based instructional materials, AI-enhanced high-impact tutoring, and tools for exploring college and career pathways. It also highlights privacy, engagement with parents and teachers, AI literacy, educator development and differentiated instruction. This is U.S. federal guidance, not proof that any named companion is effective.
A sensible boundary is to use conversation as support for learning rather than as the authority on what to learn or whether learning has happened. Teachers can set the educational purpose, check important claims and determine how AI use fits the assignment; students can use it to ask questions and then verify and explain the answer themselves.
What are the main risks?
Students in the Pitts, Marcus and Motamedi study raised concerns about academic integrity, accuracy, overreliance, possible loss of critical thinking and writing skills, privacy, bias, environmental impact and preserving human elements in education. These concerns are not findings that a particular harm has already occurred. They identify issues students saw as important.
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Inaccurate or biased answers
A fluent response can still be wrong or incomplete. If a student accepts an explanation without checking it, an error may become part of their understanding. Bias is also a concern identified by students and in UNESCO policy guidance. For consequential claims, students and educators should verify the answer against course materials or other trusted sources and seek a teacher’s help when the answer is uncertain.
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Using a chatbot to generate work can conflict with an assignment’s rules and obscure what the student understands independently. Students also raised the possibility that overreliance could weaken critical-thinking or writing skills. The preprint does not establish that these skills have been damaged; it says long-term effects on performance, skill development and retention need further study.
Schools and instructors should make expectations explicit for each task: whether AI is permitted, what kinds of assistance are allowed, and whether use must be disclosed. Students should be able to distinguish help with understanding from handing over work they are expected to do themselves.
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Privacy, consent and data ownership
A conversation with a learning tool may involve information a student should not casually share. UNESCO’s 2021 policy guidance identifies privacy, consent and data ownership as concerns. Before use, students, families and schools should understand what information the system collects, how it is handled, and whether sharing is appropriate under school rules. Do not enter sensitive personal or educational information unless the school has confirmed that the tool and its data practices are suitable.
Overreliance and human connection
Fast, available answers can make it tempting to ask the chatbot instead of attempting a problem, consulting course materials or talking with a teacher. Students specifically raised overreliance and the loss of human elements as concerns. A chatbot’s availability should not become a reason to remove human feedback, discussion or support from education.
Unequal access and inclusion
UNESCO emphasizes human-centred use, inclusion and equity, and its policy guidance identifies digital divides and algorithmic bias as issues to address. Access to a tool alone does not ensure that it is suitable for every learner or accessible in every setting. Schools considering adoption should examine accessibility, learner suitability and the possibility that different students may face different barriers.
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What should students, parents and schools check?
There is no evidence-based “best AI companion” ranking established by these sources. A practical assessment should start with the learning task and the school’s requirements, then consider the following questions. These are decision criteria drawn from student concerns and policy priorities, not a validated scoring system.
- Purpose: What specific instructional need is the tool meant to serve—such as explaining a concept, providing practice or supporting tutoring?
- Learning value: What evidence shows that it helps learners understand or retain material, rather than simply producing a plausible answer?
- Age and suitability: Is the system appropriate for the student’s age, needs and learning context?
- Accuracy and transparency: Can students recognize when an answer may be uncertain, and can important claims be checked?
- Privacy and data handling: What data is collected, how is it used, and what consent or school approval is required?
- Accessibility and inclusion: Can students use it equitably, including those with different access needs?
- Human oversight: Who is responsible for checking its role in instruction and responding when it is wrong or unsuitable?
- School policy: Do the assignment rules and school procedures allow the proposed use, and do they explain disclosure expectations?
UNESCO’s AI-in-education policy page calls for human-centred use, inclusion, equity and AI competency for students and teachers. Its 2021 guidance also discusses consent, privacy, data ownership, digital divides and bias. Together, these priorities make oversight and clear rules part of the educational decision—not optional add-ons.
What is still unknown?
The 2025 preprint is a limited view of student perspectives: its respondents were undergraduates at one large U.S. public university, and its data represent a snapshot. The authors say additional work is needed to establish long-term effects on student performance, skill development and retention. The study does not settle how students of different ages or in different regions experience these systems.
Accordingly, the evidence does not justify claiming either proven academic gains or established cognitive damage from AI companions. It supports a more measured conclusion: students see potential for support and instruction, while also identifying substantial concerns that schools and families should address as they decide whether and how to use these tools.
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