UAE Students Using AI For Homework? What Parents Need To Watch Out For

[Editor's Note: This article is part of Khaleej Times' Schools and Parents , a dedicated section designed to support families in the UAE as they explore educational choices. The section offers explainers, guidance from education leaders, expert advice and insights from parents to help readers make informed decisions about schools, curricula and communities.]

Children across the UAE are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for homework, revision and school projects. But as tools such as ChatGPT make finding answers easier, parents face a key question: are children using AI to learn, or letting it do the thinking for them?

Meanwhile, Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is expected to introduce specific guidance on AI use in schools next year, aiming to balance its educational benefits with safeguards against inappropriate use.

“We want to have a very clear direction on the use of AI and technology,” said Aisha Miran, KHDA director general.“The whole intention is when is the right time to use it to strengthen student learning, and when they should be careful about using it.”

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1. Look beyond polished essays and perfect answers

However, for educators, one of the first signs worth paying attention to is a mismatch between the quality of a child's submitted work and their ability to explain it.

Zaineb Mahdi, director of innovation and technology at GEMS School of Research and Innovation, said identifying AI-generated work simply by examining the finished assignment was becoming increasingly difficult.

“AI tools are becoming more sophisticated, and we cannot rely on detection software alone to determine whether a student has used AI,” she said.

Teachers who know their students well may notice differences in their usual vocabulary, writing style or level of understanding. However, Mahdi said the more revealing approach was to ask children to explain their work rather than rely on appearances.

“One of the most revealing questions we can ask is a very simple one: 'Can you explain how you arrived at this answer?'” she said.“We want students to demonstrate their thinking, explain their decisions and show how their ideas have developed."

Mahdi said schools needed to place greater emphasis on the learning process, including creativity, reasoning and problem-solving, instead of judging students solely on the final product.

Thomas Kinnersley, principal of Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi, agreed that a change in writing style could prompt a conversation but should not automatically be treated as evidence of AI misuse.

“Our teachers know their students incredibly well, so a change in vocabulary or writing style might prompt a conversation, but that alone doesn't mean AI has been used,” he said.“Asking children to talk through their ideas, show how they reached an answer and explain their thinking helps us see the learning behind the work.”

2. Check what your child can do without AI

A practical way for parents to understand whether AI is helping or replacing learning is to ask their child to explain a completed assignment without opening the chatbot.

Andreas Hassell, founder and chief executive of Ombori (technology company), said parents could look at whether children were able to reproduce the thinking behind their answers independently.

“The most useful test is simple, switch off the AI and see what your child can do independently,” he said.

“Can they explain the answer in their own words, walk you through how they arrived at it, or solve a similar problem without assistance? If they can submit an impressive assignment but struggle to explain it, that is a signal worth paying attention to.”

Parents can try this without turning homework into an interrogation. Ask a child to explain one paragraph of an essay, demonstrate a maths method or describe why they chose a particular argument for a project.

The aim is not to catch children out but to understand whether they have grasped the material.

Kinnersley said the concern arose when AI took over the thinking and practice children needed to develop their skills.

“Completing the homework is not the same as understanding it,” he said.

Abdulaziz Ahmed, digital design teacher at Swiss International Scientific School Dubai (SISD), said the school taught AI literacy alongside digital literacy in its secondary curriculum, helping students understand both the opportunities and limitations of the technology.

AI could help students explore ideas, challenge an argument, identify gaps in their thinking or receive feedback on a draft, he said. But students still needed to conduct their own research, develop their arguments and justify their decisions.

“The line is crossed when a student simply asks AI to complete an assignment and submits the response as their own,” Ahmed said.

“At that point, they are missing the critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving that make the learning process valuable.”

3. Notice whether AI is the first stop for every problem

Another important distinction is whether a child attempts to solve a problem independently before turning to AI, or immediately asks a chatbot for an answer.

Hassell advised parents to pay attention to these patterns and encourage children to question the information they receive.“Does the child attempt a problem before turning to AI, or is the chatbot always the first stop? Do they question its answers?” he said.

Parents can ask children where a fact came from, whether they can find the original source and how they would establish whether the information is trustworthy.

A child who checks sources and compares information is developing research skills. Simply accepting an answer because a chatbot produced it can leave them vulnerable to inaccurate or misleading information.

Ahmed said students also needed to understand that AI-generated responses could contain errors and bias, even when they sounded convincing.

For parents, the message is to encourage children to treat AI as a starting point for learning rather than the final authority.

4. Understand the difference between getting help and taking shortcuts

For some students, AI has already become a useful way to catch up when they struggle to understand classroom lessons.

Grade 7 student Yahiya Mohammed turned to ChatGPT after missing two weeks of classes just before the summer break while travelling home. Despite speaking to classmates and friends, he found that some topics remained difficult to understand.

Yahiya then entered the topics into ChatGPT and asked it to explain them in simpler language.“That really helped me understand them and catch up with what I had missed,” he said.

His experience illustrates how AI can support learning when it helps students understand material they have struggled with, rather than simply supplying completed answers.

Layla Hassan said her daughter also sometimes turns to AI when she gets stuck on homework, particularly when no adult is nearby to help.“If she doesn't understand something, she turns to ChatGPT for an explanation or to clear up her doubts. It's especially helpful when there's no adult around to help her,” she said.

However, Hassan worries that the convenience of instant answers could deprive children of the experience of working through problems themselves.

“AI gives children answers straight away, but they may lose out on the experience of researching, trying different approaches and figuring things out on their own,” she said.

“I feel that struggle and toil have their own value because they are part of the learning process.”

5. Set age-appropriate boundaries and protect personal information

Experts say parents do not necessarily need to ban AI to ensure children use it responsibly. Instead, families can establish clear expectations about when it is appropriate to use a chatbot and what information should never be shared.

Hassell said younger children needed closer supervision, while older students could gradually be given more independence alongside clear rules.

“Agree what never goes into a chatbot: full names, addresses, photos, passwords and private worries. And follow the school's rules on AI use.

“Parents should also watch for patterns. Does the child attempt a problem before turning to AI, or is the chatbot always the first stop? Do they question its answers? Ask them where a fact came from and how they would check it. A child who can find the original source, or explain why one source is more trustworthy than another, is learning. A child who says“the AI said so” is not yet. Can they still write, reason and work through a difficult question on their own?”

For parents, he added that the most useful question may ultimately be a simple one:“What can your child do with the tool closed?"

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