Why AI Will Make Our Kids Stupid (with Tom Richmond) | Broken Custodians EP 4

In this episode of Broken Custodians, Molly and Ben Kingsley from UsForThem speak to education expert Tom Richmond about the infiltration of AI into UK schools, and the serious negative implications of GenAI for learning and long-term attainment that are being missed in the rush to embrace progress. After contemplating the reality of these tools already being quietly embedded in classrooms, this episode discusses the pervasive long-term damage that can be done when technology does the thinking for pupils. Molly, Ben and Tom discuss the difference between performing and learning, the evidence that AI use can weaken memory and long-term understanding, and the risk that schools have been drawn into a giant uncontrolled experiment before the effects on children and teachers have been properly understood. Also examined is the Government’s latest plans to roll out AI tutoring for the UK’s most disadvantaged pupils, and the deeper question of what education is really about – before asking whether AI can ever support learning without hollowing it out. In this episode, Molly, Ben and Tom discuss: – Why better performance does not always mean better learning – What the evidence is telling us about AI, memory and cognition – Why pupil safeguarding standards around AI use are so weak Broken Custodians follows paper trails, interrogates official claims and asks what went wrong, who benefited, and what it would take to do better. Subscribe for in-depth conversations and investigations into the decisions shaping children’s futures. -------------------------- References Tom Richmond’s September 2025 paper for the Social Market Foundation, EducAItion, educAItion, educAItion: Could Generative Artificial Intelligence pose a risk to educational standards?, is here: https://www.smf.co.uk/publications/ai... -------------------------- 📰 Subscribe to Broken Custodians on Substack for updates, news, and extras ➤ https://usforthem2020.substack.com 🎧 Prefer audio? Listen on Spotify ➤ https://open.spotify.com/show/7tJAC2d... or Apple Podcasts ➤ https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/br... 🌐 And follow us on Instagram for clips, additional content and new episode announcements ➤   / brokencustodianspodcast   -------------------------- Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:40 – Is AI in Schools Worrying? 04:05 – AI’s Presence In Classrooms 06:15 – Is AI Undermining Learning? 10:50 – Why Good Results Can Be Misleading 14:20 – The Study That Showed a Hidden Cost 17:30 – Can AI Solve Issues Better Than We Can? 18:25 – When AI Makes Teachers Faster but Weaker 21:50 – Can AI Really Replace Teachers? 26:10 – The Promise and Risk of AI In Education 33:10 – Are We Running a Giant Experiment on Kids? 47:25 – What Responsible AI Use Could Look Like 50:50 – Conclusion