SRI Seminar Series: Hamsa Bastani, “Unpacking the unintended consequences of AI in education” – Sept 24, 2025

Session Description

Can generative AI make us worse learners? Join the Wharton School’s Hamsa Bastani as she presents surprising findings from a large-scale study of AI tutors in high school classrooms—revealing how tool design can make or break learning outcomes, and why guardrails are key to long-term productivity in the age of AI.

The weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Hamsa Sridhar Bastani, Associate Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions and of Statistics and Data Science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where she co-directs the Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab. Bastani is an expert in machine learning and optimization, with a strong focus on human–AI collaboration and applications in healthcare, public policy, and education.

In this talk, Bastani will share results from the first large-scale field experiment deploying generative AI tutors in high school math classrooms. The study reveals that while generative AI can significantly improve short-term performance, poorly designed tools may harm long-term learning by encouraging overreliance and undermining skill acquisition. Bastani shows how embedding simple safeguards can mitigate these risks—offering essential guidance for decision-makers deploying AI tools in educational and professional settings.

Moderator: Shreyas Sekar, Department of Management, UTSC

About the SRI Seminar Series

The SRI Seminar Series brings together the Schwartz Reisman community and beyond for a robust exchange of ideas that advance scholarship at the intersection of technology and society. Seminars are led by a leading or emerging scholar and feature extensive discussion.

Each week, a featured speaker will present for 45 minutes, followed by an open discussion. Registered attendees will be emailed a Zoom link before the event begins. The event will be recorded and posted online.