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 AItool 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 educationsystem 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”.

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