Researchers from the University of Toronto followed students in 18 Tennessee middle schools for two years, from 2024 to 2026. Almost all the students tried Khanmigo at first. And many tried to get the AI assistant to spit out the answer. But when Khanmigo refused and instead asked questions or offered hints, students largely stopped using it.
“We observe how students actually used the AI tutor, and the answer is: not much,” Philip Oreopoulos and Nina Low, the researchers, wrote in their draft paper, circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research in August. “Seeking help with one’s own confusion remained a choice, and most students declined it most of the time.”