Nearly half of young people trust AI over a human for fact-checking, report says

Nearly half of young people trust artificial intelligence over a human to check a fact, according to a new report. 

A Public First survey of more than 4,000 people aged 11 to 24 in England also found young men were even more likely to trust an AI tool over a person.

The survey was included in a report by historian Sir Anthony Seldon and tech entrepreneur Tim Bunting, which warned pupils may no longer see school as a "legitimate use of their time" if the education system undervalues AI.

The report claims England's education system is trying to teach for an "AI-less world that no longer exists", despite the majority of young people - nearly 87% - having experience using an AI tool.

"Education has not kept pace with how - and how much - young people are already using AI, and that gap is starting to show up as a loss of perceived value in the institution itself," the report said.

"That is a very dangerous place to find ourselves in. In the absence of a robust, human response to AI in education, young people are placing their trust in AI."

The survey, carried out last month, indicated less than 10% of young people believe schools and universities are preparing them for a world with AI.

The report warned the "legitimacy" of the education system is at risk while schools and universities "behave as if AI were a temporary contaminant to be fenced off".

It said institutions will "look less like a serious preparation for life and work, and more like a protective fiction", adding "parents and students will start to question the requirements of the system".

The authors of the report have called on the government to adopt a 10-point plan for the use of AI in education, which includes establishing a rapid response unit on AI inside the Department for Education (DfE), as well as forming a network of 100 "AI champion schools and colleges".

Sir Anthony described education as the UK's "Cinderella sector when it comes to technology" and insisted the government "cannot afford to wait for perfect certainty before we act".

He added: "Britain has the assets to lead the world on AI in education - what it has lacked is the urgency and the leadership."

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The government has previously said AI tutoring tools would be available to schools in England by the end of 2027 and announced a £23m investment in expanding testing AI and "EdTech" products in schools.

The DfE has also established an AI Safety and Pedagogy Taskforce to work with educational and AI experts to build benchmarks to assess the safety and delivery of AI in education.

A government spokesperson said: "AI is a fast-moving, emerging technology that presents significant opportunities and challenges, which we take incredibly seriously.

"Our refreshed curriculum will put foundational skills like oracy and mathematical literacy at its heart, make sure all young people have the digital skills they need for the future, and equip them with the skills to spot disinformation."

(c) Sky News 2026: Nearly half of young people trust AI over a human for fact-checking, report says