Three years ago, AI was still an experiment in many UK schools. Today, it has become part of the working week. So why aren’t teachers working fewer hours?
For the third consecutive year, Bett has asked UK teachers how they are using AI, how they feel about it and what impact it is having on their working lives. With three years of research now to draw on, we can see something more revealing than a snapshot: how teachers’ relationship with AI is changing.
And the findings tell an interesting story. AI adoption is accelerating, but the benefits aren't always translating into the changes teachers might have hoped for.
AI eases tasks, not workload
Bett’s latest report, AI in Education 2026: Working it out, based on research conducted by YouGov among 1,033 UK teachers, reveals that eight in 10 now use AI for teaching-related tasks, while weekly use has doubled in just 12 months.
Yet, as adoption has accelerated, expectations appear to be becoming more measured.
Among teachers using AI, 51% say it has eased their workload. Yet, only 35% say they actually work fewer hours. More than half continue to work the same hours as before.
In other words, AI may be making individual tasks quicker, but it hasn’t necessarily made the working week shorter. That distinction matters.
So, where is AI making the biggest difference? For many teachers, it's in the everyday preparation that happens long before pupils enter the classroom.
More than three-quarters (76%) of teachers using AI rely on it to create lesson plans, worksheets and learning resources. From generating classroom activities to adapting materials for different learning needs, AI is becoming a practical tool for tackling some of teaching's most time-consuming tasks.
But there's an important question beneath these efficiencies. If teachers can prepare lessons faster, where does that saved time go? Is it creating breathing space in an already demanding profession, or simply allowing teachers to fit more into an unchanged working day?
AI enthusiasm and support decline
As schools, policymakers and technology providers explore AI’s potential to tackle workload, Bett’s research suggests the conversation needs to move beyond simply asking whether teachers are using the technology. We need to ask what meaningful impact it is having once it reaches the classroom.
There are signs that teachers are asking the same questions. Fewer than half now expect to increase their use of AI over the next year, falling from 68% in 2025 to 47% in 2026.
This cooling enthusiasm is particularly interesting given how rapidly AI has become embedded in teachers' routines. It suggests that while educators recognise its potential, they may also be developing a clearer understanding of its limitations.
And there's another challenge: support isn't keeping pace with adoption.
Two in five teachers (41%) have received no AI training from their school, while almost half say their school has no written policy governing staff use.
That leaves many educators navigating an increasingly complex technology without consistent guidance on how to use it effectively, confidently or responsibly.
For school leaders, the opportunity is clear. Supporting teachers with practical training, shared approaches and clearer policies could be just as important as introducing new AI tools in the first place.
After all, access to technology is only one part of the equation. Knowing when, why and how to use it is what makes the difference.
The challenge facing pupils
While teachers are discovering how AI can support their own work, its growing presence in pupils' learning presents a different set of challenges.
Most secondary teachers believe AI has made it easier for students to cheat without being caught, while 57% suspected at least one pupil of submitting unauthorised AI-assisted work.
These concerns raise important questions about assessment, academic integrity and how schools can help pupils develop the skills to use AI responsibly.
As AI becomes increasingly accessible, educators face the challenge of distinguishing between technology that supports learning and technology that replaces the thinking pupils need to develop.
It's a conversation that extends beyond detecting misuse. Schools must also consider how to equip young people with the critical thinking, digital literacy and judgement they'll need in an AI-enabled world.
The picture emerging isn't one of teachers rejecting AI. Far from it; it's one of a profession becoming more pragmatic about what the technology can and cannot do.
Three years into Bett's research, the question is shifting from 'Will teachers use AI?' to something far more important: 'How do we make its use genuinely worthwhile?'
Explore the findings, challenges and opportunities shaping the next chapter of AI in education in Bett's new AI in Education 2026: Working it out report.
Download the full report to discover what UK teachers really think about AI in education.
