How Meta’s AI bots are worsening education in rural Colombia

This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

José Gregorio Salas Rural High School, where she works, lacks enough computers and reliable internet. Few students can afford the high-end smartphones or data plans that top-of-the-line AI requires.

Intencipa had heard about ChatGPT, but from what she could tell, few of her students were using it. In 2023, some started whispering about getting help from “Lucia”. She thought it might be the name of a tutor, but they were referring to the Luzia app, which turns the WhatsApp messaging app into an AI bot.

Then, last year, AI metastasized to almost every class. Teachers across the school noticed a surge in unusually high-quality answers that didn’t resemble their students’ typical work. Homework and essays suddenly featured erudite arguments, sophisticated vocabulary and points that had not been taught in class or the textbooks.

“When I assign homework, students just use AI,” Intencipa told Rest of World. “Because it’s easier.”

Despite the burst in brilliance, more kids were failing exams, teachers said.

Starting in July 2024, AI was suddenly everywhere all at once in Latin America after Meta Platforms started incorporating chatbots in its apps across the region. Whether users wanted them or not, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram became homes for...

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