CHINA: A Chinese father ignited a nationwide debate over educational ethics after he allowed artificial intelligence (AI) to take over the task of tutoring his primary school son’s homework.
According to the latest South China Morning Post report, the incident has raised concerns about the impact of AI on children’s learning and the role of parents in their education.
The controversy began on Dec 29 when the boy’s mother, identified only by her surname Jiang, from Shandong province, caught her husband handing over the responsibility of tutoring their son to AI while he was absorbed in his mobile phone.
According to Jiang, their young son revealed that his father had asked him to rely on AI whenever he got stuck on his homework. The father had been using the Kimi AI chatbot, developed by Beijing-based Moonshot AI, which launched in October 2023.
Advertised as capable of handling up to two million Chinese characters in a single prompt, Kimi helped the child by analyzing and solving a math question the boy had sent in the form of an image.
While Jiang expressed trust in her husband’s ability to tutor their son, she was surprised to learn that he had been using AI to assist with homework without her knowledge.
“I never imagined he was doing this all the time,” Jiang told Qilu Evening News.
The story has sparked a split opinion online. Some users defended the father’s choice, arguing that AI could enhance learning by providing thorough analysis and tailored examples.
“AI helps people learn faster than human teachers,” one commenter stated. “It can analyze questions more deeply and offer practical, easy-to-understand solutions.”
However, others disagreed, warning that relying on AI could discourage independent thinking.
“If kids start using AI to solve every problem, they’ll never learn to think for themselves,” one user wrote. “It’s not a good learning method for children, especially those without self-control.”
A third concerned voice pointed out that AI is not always accurate, raising questions about the reliability of such educational tools. While the controversy focused on this particular case, many parents have acknowledged using AI to lighten their educational responsibilities.
A father from Jiangsu province revealed that he used ChatGPT to help his son with homework, monitoring the process via a desktop camera. He would review the AI’s answers before passing them on to his son.
Some see the increasing reliance on AI for tutoring as a practical solution for overwhelmed parents, many of whom are already juggling demanding work schedules.
As schools pile more homework onto children, some parents have reported suffering from severe health issues, such as heart attacks and strokes, due to the stress of trying to meet both their work and parental obligations.
One online commenter summed it up, saying, “That’s what happens when lazy dads take on the role of tutoring their children.”
This incident highlights a larger discussion about the growing role of technology in education and whether AI should be considered a helpful tool or a crutch that could potentially undermine the learning process.