3 Gaps Stalling AI in Classrooms

Microsoft just released the third edition of its global AI in Education report, and the numbers raise more questions than they answer. Ira Apfel sits down with Pat Yongpradit, General Manager of Global Education and Workforce Policy at Microsoft, on the floor at the ISTELive and ASCD Annual in Orlando. They dig into the delta between daily use and overall adoption of AI, a sharp drop in student optimism, and a persistent training divide between what leaders believe and what teachers and students actually experience. The conversation also turns to academic integrity and where the policy backlash against AI in schools may be headed next. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Daily AI use lags far behind overall adoption, with just 33 percent of educators and 27 percent of students using it every day despite nine in ten having tried it. Student optimism about AI dropped 21 points in a single year, a shift Pat links to a predictable trough in the technology adoption curve. Three out of four students and half of educators report no formal AI training, even though seven in ten leaders believe their people are trained. Yongpradit explains why academic integrity worries students and educators for opposite reasons, and what that means for how schools should write AI guidance. STORIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 2026 AI in Education Report, Published by Microsoft STAY CONNECTED Subscribe to EdSurge newsletters. Find the latest education news at edsurge.com/news. Follow EdSurge on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. HOST AND CONTRIBUTORS Host: Ira Apfel Featuring: Pat Yongpradit, General Manager of Global Education and Workforce Policy, Microsoft