Young people and teachers’ use of generative AI to support literacy has become a strong focus within the National Literacy Trust as we explore the role that generative AI plays in shaping the future of literacy.
We first asked young people and teachers about how they use generative AI in early 2023, shortly after the launch of ChatGPT-3. Jump forward a mere two years and the digital advancements in AI have shown little sign of slowing down.
This speed of development in generative AI, along with a growing body of research, has fuelled ongoing debate. Often this focuses on the risks more than the benefits of AI for learning and creativity. Concerns about the impact of AI on literacy range from the pragmatic to the existential, with some academics simply stating that, “literacy increasingly means and includes interacting with and critically evaluating AI”, while others ask us to consider whether reading and writing skills might eventually become obsolete.*
In a series of blogs, Senior Research Manager Irene Picton and Head of Secondary School Improvement Nisha Tank discuss findings from our latest research, with particular emphasis on how young people and educators are using this technology to support literacy development.
Research shows more regular AI use in some young people
Our latest AI and literacy research report shares findings from tens of thousands of young people aged 13 to 18, and almost 3,000 teachers who took part in our Annual Literacy Survey in 2025. It aims to shed light on how these tools are becoming more integrated into the literacy lives of many young people and teachers, influencing our understanding of what it means to be literate in the digital age.
While fewer young people told us they had tried generative AI tools overall in 2025 compared with 2024 (65.5% vs 77.1%), those who did use AI used it more regularly, with almost half (45.6%) using it weekly or more often (vs 31.1% the previous year). This suggests that some young people feel more adept at using these tools.
Exploring the relationship between AI and writing and reading engagement
In 2025, we wanted to deepen our knowledge of how young people and teachers used AI to support their writing and reading practices. Key findings from our research included:
Using AI for writing
Many young people told us they had used AI to improve their writing, with 2 in 5 using it to find better words to use and 1 in 3 to check spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Those who already enjoyed writing were more likely to say they’d used AI for more interactive tasks such as (shaping ideas into stories, or generating characters, plots and dialogue) suggesting keen writers were using these tools to experiment with, or enrich, a practice they already enjoyed.
However, even among those who did not enjoy writing, 1 in 5 had asked AI for feedback on how their writing could be better, pointing to their potential for offering accessible support.
Using AI for reading
Fewer young people reported using AI for reading, but 1 in 3 reported using it to look up word meanings or to summarise.
Older teens were more likely than younger ones to use AI for analysing or interpreting texts, perhaps reflecting increased demands in these areas at a higher educational stage.
Almost three times as many young people who enjoyed reading asked AI for reading recommendations compared with less keen readers (17.7% vs 6.5%)
Critical evaluation or copying?
Prominent concerns about generative AI include plagiarism and inaccuracies in outputs. About half (48.9%) of young people told us that when they used AI, they usually added their own thoughts, while 2 in 5 (42.8%) said they checked AI outputs as they could be wrong. However, 1 in 4 (25.1%) admitted to ‘just copying’ AI outputs when using it for homework, an increase on 2024’s stat of 1 in 5 (20.9%). This trend was more pronounced in younger teens and those who were less engaged with reading and writing.
The value of developing good writing skills in the age of AI
Despite the potential affordances of AI tools, 2 in 3 (65.5%) young people agreed that: “Even when we have AI, it is important to learn how to write.”
Teachers and generative AI: Growing use, rising concerns
Teachers’ use of generative AI has almost doubled since 2023. 3 in 5 (58.0%) of teachers told us they used AI in 2025, narrowing the gap between students and staff. Of teachers who used AI to support writing, popular uses included:
- creating lesson resources,
- generating quizzes, and
- modelling writing styles for students.
Fewer used it for reading, however, the percentage who had used it to summarise documents or reports increased over the last year, from 1 in 5 (18.9%) to 3 in 10 (31.4%).
What are teachers’ concerns?
However, concerns are increasing. Findings indicate that while AI offers opportunities to reduce workload, teachers have growing concerns around how generative AI is affecting how literacy skills are valued and enacted. More than 2 in 5 (45.2%) teachers said they were worried about their pupils’ use of these tools, and even more were concerned about its impact on literacy.
2 in 3 (66.5%) teachers worried that AI might decrease the perceived value of developing writing skills, and 1 in 2 (48.6%) that it might decrease the value of developing reading skills. As one teacher said, “One child told me they didn’t need to learn to write as a computer would do it for them when they left school”.
Conflicting feelings about the benefits and drawbacks of AI tools for literacy
There is ongoing debate about the pros and cons of generative AI. While 2 in 3 (65.2%) teachers agreed that AI could model good writing skills, 2 in 5 (43.1%) also felt it would have a negative impact on young people’s writing skills overall.
Only 3 in 10 teachers believed that AI could support pupils to read (29.4%) and write (28.1%) independently. Indeed, many felt the opposite, with one teacher sharing: “I am worried that … people (not just students) are becoming too reliant on AI and this is lowering our reading comprehension and writing abilities.”
Recognising the need to support young people to engage critically with AI
The majority (89.2%) of teachers agreed that students should be taught how to engage critically with AI, and 2 in 3 teachers felt they need more training and support themselves.
Read more in our article: How can AI be useful in the classroom to support literacy?
The value of exploring and evaluating information
Learning to work effectively and reflectively with AI outputs is part of developing good AI-literacy skills. A sense of instant access to not just knowledge, but its synthesis and analysis, means that the value of exploring and evaluating information for oneself needs increasing attention. More thought must be given to how messages around the transformative power of generative AI can be tempered with evidence around how strong literacy skills remain essential to its effective and reflective use, and to emphasise the value of learning and exploring information critically for oneself.
Academics and educational policymakers should also build on existing support and resources offered to teachers by defining ethical and pedagogical boundaries for AI use in schools, and, recognising that many young people are using generative AI with little support or guidance. It is imperative that teachers are supported to develop expectations for student engagement, including around critical evaluation, citation and co-creation.
Questions for reflection
Our findings raise questions for academics, teachers, policymakers and all those who support young people’s literacy, for example:
- How might generative AI use affect core literacy outcomes, including reading and writing stamina, comprehension and motivation, in young people?
- Can generative AI tools better support disengaged or struggling writers and readers? And how might it enrich literacy practices for those who are already engaged?
- Should AI tools be integrated into literacy instruction, and if so, how do we help young people to get the most from them and ensure they support rather than replace core skills?
- How can we support and motivate young people to interact more critically with AI tools? What is the role of policy in advising on ethical and pedagogical boundaries for AI use in schools? How can we ensure equitable access to AI tools and training?
We'd love to hear from you
In the next stage of our research, we will be exploring the themes arising from this survey in more depth by speaking directly with young people, teachers and librarians, and contextualising these conversations with perspectives from academics and industry experts.
We would love to hear from educators and other experts about experiences of using AI to support literacy. Please get in touch if you would like to share your thoughts, find out more about our work and research, or explore potential partnership opportunities.
Email research@literacytrust.org.uk if you want to find out more about our work and research, or share your experiences.
Email our team via partnerships@literacytrust.org.uk if you would like to explore partnership opportunities.
*Hamilton et al. (2023). The Future of AI in Education: 13 Things We Can Do to Minimize the Damage; Villasenor, J. (2025). AI has rendered traditional writing skills obsolete. Education needs to adapt. Brookings; Rothman, J. (2025, June 17). What’s Happening to Reading? The New Yorker.