Preschool teachers use generative artificial intelligence the least among educators in grades pre-K-12, but they are starting to use it more despite a lack of guidance, according to a new report.
According to research from nonprofit think tank RAND, 29 percent of preschool teachers use generative artificial intelligence in the classroom, though 20 percent of those teachers use it less than once a week. Comparatively, 69 percent of high school teachers use generative AI, with 64 percent of middle school teachers and 42 percent of elementary school teachers using the technology.
“To me, it raises the question of how AI use is going to evolve in pre-K,” Jordy Berne, an associate economist at RAND and co-lead on this study, said during a press briefing. “Are we going to learn more about the developmental impacts that will prevent it from becoming more common? Or will we find ways to use it really productively, and it’ll be a great boost to teachers and pre-K students?”
A significant factor is the worry that for the youngest students, technology, particularly personal devices like iPads, could detract from their developing communication and social skills.
“One of the key concerns is developmentally appropriateness,” Berne says. “Teachers expressed concerns about children having too much screen time, which can detract from human interaction they deem necessary for social skills.”
Plugged In
But pre-K teachers are plenty plugged in.
In addition to asking about AI, the RAND research, called “the spring 2025 American Public School Pre-K Teacher Survey,” also asked pre-K teachers about their use of instructional, curricular and administrative edtech products and services. The survey polled roughly 2,000 pre-K teachers working in public schools.
Almost all of those surveyed — 98 percent — use online video or audio with their students, with 92 percent using it daily or weekly. Many teachers reported using videos or music for their students to give breaks for the students in between lessons and dance time.
