Publish at January 28 2026 Updated January 28 2026
AI has revolutionized learning. If, a few years before its advent, doing a homework assignment was a demanding task, as you had to go through several texts and think your way through a problem, with this tool, access to knowledge is easy, not time-consuming at all. In short, AI simplifies the process. Unfortunately, these appreciated advantages have consequences for the culture of effort, affecting the quality of renderings in lecture theaters. Is AI creating a generation of least-effort advocates?
Until we have proof to the contrary, the main purpose of this tool is to assist learning, not to replace the exercise of human intelligence. It would seem that many have turned this work tool into their "whipping boy", who has to carry out the tasks they don't want to stick to, either for lack of time or simply because they're lazy. Except that
"This excessive delegation of cognitive tasks opens up the possibility of reduced involvement in the formulation of ideas, reflection and regulation of the intellectual production process".
In such an atmosphere, how can we possibly teach learners a taste for effort?
Work is generally associated with constraint. Yet as long as we live, we can't really do without it. On the other hand, the moment we associate it with a playful aspect, the game changes, and we're more willing and committed to carrying out the task. This is all the more true with the proliferation of screens, which are more conducive to entertaining individuals than anything else.
According to one study, the average French person spends 56 hours in front of a screen: 20 hours for work, and 36 hours for entertainment. That's 122 days in a year, and 27 years in a lifetime! As we can see, more time is given over to entertainment.
Taking advantage of this situation, the idea of gamifying learning at some point in the future has caught on with educationalists. Gamifying learning means making learning fun, with a view to engaging learners in the pursuit of specific pedagogical objectives. Not far from transforming learning into a game, it's a question of the teacher providing an experience in which game mechanisms such as badges, a points system or an immersive experience are used, with a view to limiting the perception of effort and encouraging learners to become more involved in their learning.
Widely used in e-learning, Coralie Damay (ISC Paris) believes that gamification "aims to put students into action via a variety of devices: serious games, negotiation simulations, business games, creative workshops, etc." Its virtues are undeniable and multiple, "Gamification is an essential lever for capturing students' attention and making learning more lively" according to Loïc Harriet, Managing Director of Eklore-ed.
The need to develop critical thinking skills is especially important in the current boom in fake news, now generated by AI, which offers highly realistic and confusing content, the strength of which can be summed up by a successful union of the real and the imaginary. Examples are legion. Just think of the sickening images of an alleged bombardment in Gaza, featuring a tiny child visualizing the debris around him, and that of a baby with a tear-streaked face under the rubble. These "shots" were later used by demonstrators demanding justice for Gaza. It's easy to see how an unverified infox can lead to mass disinformation.
In addition to the AI-generated images that are constantly circulating on the web, there are also fictitious websites set up by individuals who, with articles featuring unusual titles and riddled with errors, generate a multitude of clicks that earn their authors thousands of euros thanks to the associated advertising.
Fortunately, we can count on classroom modules such as argumentation to sharpen students' critical thinking skills and train them to verify the source of information. For critical thinking is "the act of not accepting any assertion without first checking its accuracy". In this way, users of digital tools will be able to distance themselves from what is true and false, and become enlightened citizens.
It's all very well to preach the cult of gamification and critical thinking, but in reality, if the taste for effort isn't an integral part of the education of AI users, it's clear that these proposals are worth little.
Consequently, it's up to the family, the child's first socialization unit, to get him or her used to confronting difficulty on a recurring basis, so that it becomes an integral part of his or her lifestyle, and for the school to take over. This is the way to achieve a mentality and quality work.
Illustration: Stéphane CHADOURNE - Pixabay
References
France 24, "Thousands of fake articles written by AI online", online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roKUVGBfpdo
Gaussel Marie, "Développer l'esprit critique par l'argumentation: de l'élève au citoyen. Dossier de veille de l'IFÉ", 108, 2016, online https://hal.science/hal-05345933v1
Meujesse Learning, "La gamification, ce n'est pas un jeu (c'est une stratégie d'engagement redoutable)", online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcYRUUOP9Ow
Patrice Bonfy, "Éduquer dans un monde d'AI : ce qui ne va plus de soi", online https://solstice-lab.com/?show=articles&slug=eduquer-monde-ia-fondamentaux-enfance-travail
Prévoir, "Do we spend too much time on screens?"
https://www.prevoir.com/nos-actualites/passons-nous-trop-de-temps-sur-les-ecrans
Quotidien, "Ces fake news ultra réalistes générées par l'AI", online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X52m0NbC0JU
Studi, "Le futur de la gamification: quelles tendances pour l'apprentissage de demain?", online https://www.studi.com/fr/blog/decryptage-du-monde-de-la-formation/tendances-apprentissage
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