Does AI Use Help or Hurt Learning? That’s the Wrong Question | Arvind Narayanan

Asking whether AI helps or hurts learning is the wrong question. In this talk, leading AI scholar Arvind Narayanan will discuss how AI’s effect on learning is not an inherent or inevitable property of the technology itself. Instead, he will explore the agency we possess in how we use it, and how that agency will determine whether AI supports or undermines learning. He will also provide key strategies for incorporating AI in education in ways that support student learning outcomes. -- Arvind Narayanan is a professor of computer science at Princeton University and the director of the Center for Information Technology Policy. He is a co-author of the book AI Snake Oil and a newsletter of the same name which is read by 60,000 researchers, policy makers, journalists, and AI enthusiasts. He previously co-authored two widely used computer science textbooks: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies and Fairness in Machine Learning. Narayanan led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project to uncover how companies collect and use our personal information. His work was among the first to show how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes. Narayanan was one of TIME’s inaugural list of 100 most influential people in AI. He is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Visit Arvind’s website: https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~arvindn/ -- The Public AI Summit for Educators was a free, two-day virtual professional development event that took place between September 16–17, 2026. It was designed especially for educators at community colleges, public schools, minority-serving institutions, and other broad-access educational settings, while remaining open to anyone interested in the future of AI and education.A cross keynotes, hands-on workshops, and live Q&A sessions, participants learned from experienced educators and leading researchers who have spent the past several years experimenting with AI in real classrooms. Sessions explored topics including AI literacy, course policies, assessment, prompt design, institutional leadership, career readiness, and practical strategies for integrating AI into existing curricula. Learn more about the Public AI Summit: https://publicaisummit.org Visit the Data Nutrition Project's website: https://datanutrition.org Visit the AI Pedagogy Project's website: https://aipedagogy.org