Around half of adults in the UK think responsible use of AI should be taught in secondary schools, with the public divided over how it should be used by pupils and teachers, new research suggests. A survey commissioned by Cambridge University Press and Assessment found respondents were divided on whether students should use AI to improve punctuation and grammar in coursework, but are more supportive of teachers using the technology for admin tasks. Jill Duffy, chief executive of OCR, said the education sector must 鈥渇ind a way to adapt coursework so it is fit for the AI century鈥�. Split opinion YouGov鈥檚 nationally representative poll of 2,221 over-18s found 52 per cent of adults supported adding responsible use of AI to the secondary school curriculum. Fewer (34 per cent) said they wanted it to be taught in primary schools. Fifty-nine per cent supported teachers’ use of AI for admin tasks such as lesson planning, while 31 per cent said they were against it. But respondents were more opposed to using the technology for marking, at 62 per cent compared to 27 per cent in support. It comes after The Sutton Trust found an emerging 鈥渄igital divide鈥� between private and state schools鈥� use of AI, with private schools 鈥渇orging ahead鈥� with clear school-wide strategies in using the technology. The vast majority of adults (89 per cent) said they were against students using AI to entirely complete their coursework. But there was a divide between those who supported students using AI for punctuation and grammar (46 per cent) and those who didn鈥檛 (44 per cent). Gender divide The survey also revealed a difference in opinion between men and women. While 67 per cent of women said they opposed teachers using AI to mark coursework, this dropped to 57 per cent among men. More women than men (40 per cent vs 29 per cent) also opposed adding responsible use of AI to the curriculum for secondary schools. ‘Transformational potential’ Duffy said: 鈥淎I is already in our schools and is not going away. A coordinated national strategy, with funding to ensure no schools are left behind, will build confidence in its transformational potential. Jill Duffy 鈥淭he public is clear that coursework is too important to lose, even in the age of AI. It enables us to test different skills and to reduce the intense volume of exams taken at 16.鈥� The survey鈥檚 findings presented a challenge to 鈥渁dapt coursework so it is fit for the AI century鈥�, Duffy added. Toolkits released by the government in June said it is essential that schools draw up an AI 鈥渧ision鈥�, using the technology for marking feedback, email writing and adapt materials for SEND pupils. But schools were also told to plan for AI鈥檚 鈥渨ider use鈥� in budget planning and tenders and to ensure safeguarding and privacy risks are monitored.