How AI Can Support Everyday School Life

The integration of artificial intelligence in the school environment is gaining in importance and is fundamentally changing the education sector. Current data paint a remarkable picture: in Germany, more than half of all teachers have already used AI tools for school-related purposes (Bitkom, 2024a).

This article examines both the possibilities of AI in schools and the associated challenges.

AI in Education: Essential Context

Artificial intelligence refers to computer-based systems capable of simulating human-like cognitive abilities such as learning, problem-solving, and language comprehension. In school settings, language models that can understand and generate natural language are particularly relevant (Mankarios, 2024). These systems work on the basis of complex algorithms and machine learning processes that enable them to learn from data and adapt to new tasks.

The relevance of AI for the education system is underlined by current surveys. According to a representative survey of lower and upper secondary teachers by the digital association Bitkom, 51 percent have already used AI for school purposes – for example, for lesson planning or writing letters to parents (Bitkom, 2024a). These figures show that AI is no longer a topic for the future, but has already become part of educational reality.

Current use of AI in German schools

The use of AI in German schools shows different patterns of application. Of the teachers in Germany who have already used AI for school purposes, 81 percent used it for knowledge transfer in lessons and 59 percent to explain how such systems work to students. Further areas of use include creating teaching materials or formulating individual feedback (Bitkom, 2024a).

Among students, AI is most commonly used for research (58 percent), defining terms (50 percent), and explaining topics (45 percent). ChatGPT is the most widely used AI system (Vodafone Stiftung, 2024). These recognizable usage patterns illustrate the broad spectrum of applications for AI technologies in the educational context.

Everyday School AI: Challenges and Opportunities

The systematic integration of AI into everyday school life confronts educational institutions with complex challenges. Current studies show that the use of AI in schools has so far rarely been regulated in a consistent way: 38 percent of young people surveyed report that AI use is not yet a topic at their school, and a further 38 percent say that the rules depend on the individual teacher (Vodafone Stiftung, 2024). This inconsistent practice highlights the need for cross-school concepts and clear frameworks.

The Cornelsen School Leadership Study 2025 also shows that vocational schools approach technological innovations more pragmatically. Their school leaders are often more open to digitization and to the subject of AI. This openness could serve as a model for general education schools, which are still more strongly shaped by traditional teaching methods (FiBS Research Institute, 2025).

AI's support potential in everyday school life

Artificial intelligence offers numerous ways to support everyday school life and reduce the workload on teachers. Even the targeted use of large language models (LLMs) such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini already provides valuable input for lesson design. Beyond that, a broad range of specialized software solutions now exists.

For an overview of different deployment contexts, see Kipti and ChatGPT compared.

The table below shows some example providers; it does not claim to be comprehensive. In addition to small, specialized companies and start-ups, major publishers such as Cornelsen and Klett, as well as school administration software providers such as Sdui with its AI-assisted timetabling tool, are now integrating artificial intelligence into their products.

The information in the table reflects the product descriptions provided by each vendor, retrieved on September 28, 2026; sources are linked at the end of the article. The current information provided by each vendor is always authoritative. This table is an overview, not a performance comparison.

A separate comparison is available at Kipti and fobizz compared.

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AI mentoring and individual support

Given the growing diversity in classrooms and the associated challenges for teachers, AI-based adaptive learning platforms can provide valuable support. These systems enable individualized learning in which content is adaptively adjusted to the needs and learning progress of individual students. This can help to increase motivation and achieve better learning outcomes (Joachim Herz Stiftung, 2023).

Young people themselves are calling for change: more than half of those surveyed want new approaches in the education system: 59 percent argue in favor of aligning assessments more strongly with problem-solving skills and practical applications, rather than simply testing rote memorization (Vodafone Stiftung, 2024). AI mentoring could open up new pathways for competency development and assessment. However, this is not automatic: AI remains a tool and cannot replace good teaching (Mankarios, 2024).

Support for documentation and administration

In the administrative area, too, AI can contribute significantly to reducing workload. Areas of application include documenting learning progress, generating reports, and organizing school data. AI also makes it possible, through intelligent knowledge management, to access relevant information more quickly, to automate recurring administrative processes, and to make communication workflows more efficient.

The posts on digital documentation in schools and knowledge management for school teams cover these two areas of work in more depth.

The Cornelsen School Leadership Study 2025 shows that staff shortages remain the biggest source of stress for schools – one in two schools lacks teachers (FiBS Research Institute, 2025). In this context, AI-supported automation of administrative tasks could help relieve the existing workforce and create more space for core educational tasks.

Critical reflection and challenges

Despite the wide range of potential, the use of AI in everyday school life also brings challenges that require critical reflection.

One aspect to consider here is that 57 percent of young people are concerned that their own work can no longer be distinguished from AI-generated content (Vodafone Stiftung, 2024). These concerns underline the need for transparent assessment procedures and clear guidelines for the use of AI in examinations and evaluations.

Technical and structural requirements

Implementing AI systems requires appropriate technical infrastructure and digital competencies on the part of teachers and students. Given the existing challenges in the education system – such as acute staff shortages and the health of teachers and students – the question of how to prioritize resources for the introduction and use of AI systems arises (FiBS Research Institute, 2025).

Legal and ethical aspects

The use of AI raises legal and ethical questions, particularly regarding data protection, transparency, and freedom from discrimination. Nina Galla points out that AI systems are neither transparent nor free from discrimination, which means that societal value judgments and educational ideals can find their way into them (GEW, 2023). These aspects must be taken into account when integrating AI into everyday school life.

In this context, Bitkom emphasizes the need for a shared concept for implementing AI in instruction – including a financing model for acquiring licenses for digital teaching and learning content (Bitkom, 2024b). Such overarching frameworks could help to establish ethical and legal standards and promote responsible use of AI.

Conclusion and outlook

Integrating AI into everyday school life offers a wide range of opportunities to support teachers and improve the quality of education. To realize this potential, however, clear frameworks, digital competencies, and critical reflection are required. As the Cornelsen School Leadership Study 2025 shows, school leaders see themselves as agents of change, driving a transformation of the school system toward greater autonomy, equity, and future orientation (FiBS Research Institute, 2025).

In this context, AI can be an important tool for making schools fit for the future and promoting educational success. Particularly important is the development of digital literacy and media competency – both on the part of teachers and students. The goal is not only to learn with AI, but also to learn about AI, in order to foster a critical, reflective, and responsible approach to this technology.

For the future, it is to be expected that AI will be increasingly integrated into everyday school life and will enable new forms of teaching and learning. It is essential that the use of AI is pedagogically grounded and takes into account the needs of all those involved in the educational process.

References

• Alexandra Mankarios (2024). Wann KI beim Lernen hilft und wann sie schadet. Deutsches Schulportal. Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH. https://deutsches-schulportal.de/bildungsforschung/wann-ki-beim-lernen-hilft-und-wann-sie-schadet/. (accessed March 11, 2025).

• Bitkom (2024a). Bereits jede zweite Lehrkraft hat KI für die Schule genutzt. Berlin, October 9, 2024. https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/jede-zweite-Lehrkraft-KI-Schule-genutzt. (accessed September 28, 2026)

• Bitkom (2024b). Schulen dürfen bei KI nicht allein gelassen werden. Berlin, January 17, 2024. https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/Schulen-KI-Einsatz. (accessed September 28, 2026)

• Cornelsen (2025). Cornelsen.ai – die KI Toolbox. https://www.cornelsen.de/digital/ai (accessed March 11, 2025).

• FiBS Research Institute (2025). Zwischen Vision und Rebellion – Cornelsen Schulleitungsstudie 2025. Berlin: Cornelsen Verlag GmbH.

• GEW (2023). KI kann nicht pauschal entlasten. Frankfurt am Main: Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft. https://www.gew.de/aktuelles/detailseite/ki-kann-nicht-pauschal-entlasten. (accessed March 11, 2025).

• Klett (2025). KI im Klassenzimmer. https://www.klett.de/inhalt/ki/startseite/277433 (accessed February 11, 2025).

• Sdui (2025). KI-Stundenplaner. https://sdui.de/ki-stundenplaner-sdui/ (accessed March 11, 2025).

• Vodafone Stiftung (2024). Pioniere des Wandels: Wie Schüler:innen KI im Unterricht nutzen möchten. Düsseldorf: Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland. https://www.vodafone-stiftung.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Pioniere-des-Wandels-wie-Schueler-innen-KI-im-Unterricht-nutzen-wollen-Jugendstudie-der-VS-2024.pdf.