20/03/2026
During a recent interview, a student and I were discussing AI regulation and the future of how we verify authentic human work. The conversation went somewhere I did not expect.
She described submitting an essay, her own words, her own thinking, written without any AI involvement. It came back flagged.
Her question was one I think every school, parent, and employer needs to sit with right now. How do we use AI as a tool for checking authenticity without creating exactly this kind of experience for students who are trying to do the right thing?
When she said it, I told her honestly that these stories pain me. Because they reflect a confusion that both young people and adults are navigating as technology moves faster than our systems can keep up with.
The answer is not more software. It is knowing your students well enough that you do not need a tool to tell you whether the work is theirs. Parents who know how their child writes. Mentors who have read a hundred drafts. Teachers who have watched the thinking develop over time. That is the original authenticity checker.
What struck me most was what sat underneath her frustration. She is not against AI. She uses it herself, including a custom bot she built to practice for Spanish oral exams. Her position is more nuanced than most adults manage: use it alongside your learning, not instead of it.
She also said this, and I have not stopped thinking about it since.
“The most important aspect of school is teaching students how to learn and want to learn. The biggest takeaway I’ve had is that throughout my stages of life, I’ve wanted to learn and been curious.”
Not the grades. Not the checklist. The desire to stay curious.
Full interview in the comments.
