Zoe L '27 contributing illustrator
For the 2025-26 school year, Marlborough updated the Wi-Fi to block students from accessing artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Gemini and ChatGPT on the school premises. Over the summer, the administration had a series of meetings and came to the conclusion that blocking these sites would be the optimal solution to prevent cheating.
Head of Upper School Regina Rosi Mitchell said the school wants to educate students on proper AI protocols that can be implemented in an ethical, responsible and tangible manner. However, the administration is aware that AI can also be ethically used for learning. Rosi Mitchell commented on the importance of AI literacy, the newly coined concept that describes one’s ability to understand and reflect upon AI applications in real-world situations.
“We understand that AI is here to stay, and our mission is to prepare our students to be ready to lead and shape the future,” Rosi Mitchell said. “AI is the great disruptor of our time, which is fundamentally reshaping — you can make a case for — all of humanity.”
Rosi Mitchell noted that a student can become dependent on AI and substitute authentic, face-to-face human interaction for AI platforms, unintentionally impacting a student’s mental health.
The Marlborough administration values a productive struggle, where challenges and imperfections result in learning outcomes for students. Thus, the administration is concerned that AI can replace a student’s critical thinking and real-world skills.
“Farming one’s work out to AI, while potentially more efficient, robs students of the opportunity to learn,” Rosi Mitchell said. “As a school, we want to ensure we are putting the proper guardrails in place so that learning happens.”
Currently, Flint has been approved by the administration to aid teachers in the learning process. Flint is a specialized AI site created for teachers and can be specified to a particular subject. Teachers can create relevant practice problems, guide students through literature analysis and give immediate constructive feedback to student work. For the past few months, Marlborough has offered AI training and lessons for faculty to ensure that they understand how to utilize it in the classroom, as artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly interwoven with everyday life.
“Marlborough has devoted some professional development time for faculty to discuss AI and we are actively planning further professional development days,” Director of Studies Jonathon Allen said. “Our goal is to make sure every teacher feels comfortable incorporating AI when it’s appropriate and can enhance the learning experience for students. As you can imagine, we want to get it right.”
AI is a tool that is being implemented in every industry. It affects everything from education to medicine to politics. As a college preparatory school, Marlborough understands the importance of teaching AI basics so students can add it to their toolkits for college and beyond.
“We don’t see AI tools becoming any less prevalent moving forward,” Allen said. “With that said, effectively using AI in the classroom is something that takes planning and time.”