Mallorca warning: school AI rules need checks at home

In Palma, Mallorca, rules for artificial intelligence (AI) in Balearic schools risk falling apart once pupils get home and turn to programmes that do their work for them. Education researcher Bartomeu Castell raises that warning on Thursday, 22 October 2026, at the presentation of the 2026 Education Yearbook. He says schools are not using AI badly; the trouble begins when pupils leave the classroom.

The gap between school and home

When an AI learning tool makes pupils think for themselves, Castell says, they tend to switch to general-purpose tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to get the work done. He argues that families should carry on the checks teachers make in class, ensuring children use only the tools their schools have chosen to support learning.

Learn the basics before using more AI

Castell wants schools to limit screens and AI in the first two years of secondary education, known as ESO, so pupils build a base of knowledge. He would introduce the tools more widely in the third and fourth years, once pupils have developed some critical thinking.

His preferred AI asks questions and offers guidance rather than supplying finished work. Castell says schools using this approach in the later Bachillerato stage have seen exceptional results. By that point, he says, there is no time to teach pupils to write from scratch: they need to have learnt that in earlier years.

Topics: Education

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com