The German Teachers’ Association (DL) is concerned about the potential end of homework assignments due to students’ increasing use of artificial intelligence. According to DL President Stefan Düll, the danger is that homework assignments may soon become impossible to administer. He noted that “theoretically, everything that happens outside the classroom could have been completed with or by an AI” making it difficult for educators to monitor. To prevent cheating, the teacher leader suggested that handwriting requirements should be maintained for both homework and assessments in junior grades.
Furthermore, extended assignments created outside of lessons, such as subject-specific papers, will also be affected. In these cases, the only remaining reliable method for assessing a student’s actual abilities is through oral discussion. Looking ahead, the focus must shift to questioning the creation process itself. Düll stated, “I cannot question the content, but rather ask: How did you get to this content?”
However, Düll also cautions against blanket condemnation of young people’s interaction with new technologies. He argued that current discussions surrounding topics like social media addiction or AI usage tend to pathologize and criminalize young people. According to Düll, students are fully capable of using digital tools responsibly. He concluded that society and the school system must accept the natural evolution of skills across generations, stating, “We have to be able to accept that today’s young people are developing different competencies than we currently possess”.
