PETALING JAYA: Jaycee Lee, 17, is studying for his SPM. He goes to school, attends extra classes in school and studies at home – using artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
The Form Five science stream student does not attend tuition classes.
Instead, he uses AI to clarify concepts, complete homework, generate practice questions and even assist with writing tasks.
“I like studying on my own. Pinging my questions and thoughts with AI helps me learn. I can do it any time.”
However, the Melaka student said one must know how to work with AI.
“I need to ask the right questions to find the right answers.
“It’s fast and available any time, but I still need to understand the steps. AI can’t replace thinking,” he said.
Jaycee does not believe AI makes students lazy.
“It’s a good thinking partner. I just have to be careful not to rely on it too much, or I’ll struggle when I have to solve problems on my own,” he said.
For many parents, however, AI cannot replace tuition.
Faizeli, 44, from Bangi, has a Form Five son who attends weekly tuition for maths and science.
He said AI was just a tool for quick fact-finding.
“Face-to-face tuition provides guidance, motivation and the human touch that AI cannot,” he said.
He also worries that creativity may decline if students rely too heavily on prompts.
Faizeli pointed out that tuition teachers can provide the “human touch”.
“A teacher can provide emotion, empathy and other emotional values which AI can’t,” he said.
Insurance agent Tasha Devi Tay, 48, agrees.
Her 16-year-old daughter uses AI for school work and image generation but still attends tuition for History and Additional Mathematics.
“AI helps her learn faster, but it doesn’t replace the support from a teacher or seeing friends,” she said.
Tay said she gives her daughter a lot of freedom online while doing occasional spot checks.
“AI is a great tool that helps us get things done faster ... it all depends on how we see and use it as a tool,” she said.
Students like Ashley Lim Qian Rou, 17, also value AI as a supplement rather than a substitute.
She said she recently used it to understand a mathematics question on divisibility by four.
“It explained that a number is divisible by 4 if the last two digits are divisible by 4. Seeing the step-by-step explanation helped me understand the logic better,” she said.
However, Ashley said AI can also miss the mark.
“Sometimes the explanations are too complicated or slightly off, so I double-check with my textbook or ask a teacher. I still need to verify answers,” she said.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said AI is prompting adjustments rather than becoming an outright replacement.
“Many parents are using AI to supplement tuition,” she said, warning that “simply asking AI for answers” can erode independent thinking and academic integrity.
She also warned that AI could “mirror and amplify existing inequalities” if access depends on devices, paid tools or support at home.
To reduce gaps, she said solutions could include school-provided platforms, teaching students how to ask good questions and integrating AI use into classroom learning.
“Schools need to move from prohibition to education,” she said.
