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Review of "What Benefits Does Generative Artificial Intelligence Technology Confer in K-12 Education?" (Preprint) doi:10.5281/zenodo.20533325

Summary. The preprint investig​ates the potential benefits and challenges of integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into K-12 education. Through a literature review, the author synthesizes findings on personalized instruction, policy needs, student perspectives, the digital divide, and the risks of overreliance on AI. The main conclusion asserts that with proper oversight, clear policies, and consideration for equity, GAI can effectively enhance K-12 learning rather than replace fundamental educational elements. The paper does an excellent job of balancing optimistic educational possibilities with grounded, critical concerns regarding the digital divide and student data privacy. My comments primarily concern the paper's structural formatting, the alignment of cited evidence with the target demographic, and the framing of its core arguments.

1. Demographic mismatch in cited evidence. Under "Assertion #4," the paper argues that frequent reliance on GAI may discourage independent thinking among "younger students who are still developing foundational academic skills," but supports this claim using a case study of university students in Indonesia taking midterm and final exams. Using a study focused on higher education university students to directly support a claim about younger K-12 students' foundational skill development creates a disconnect in the argument. The author should either find literature specifically addressing K-12 student reliance on GAI to support this assertion, or explicitly acknowledge the limitation that this evidence comes from higher education and thoughtfully hypothesize how it might translate to younger learners.

2. Overgeneralization of student autonomy. In "Assertion #2," the paper definitively states, "To ensure successful implementation of Generative Artificial Intelligence, students must support and approve the use of it first". This claim relies on a study showing middle schoolers believe GAI is useful if they gain autonomy over its use. The leap from students valuing autonomy to the absolute requirement that students "must support and approve" AI before implementation is an overgeneralization that the cited evidence does not fully support. The author could soften this language to reflect the evidence more accurately; instead of stating students must approve it first, the paper could suggest that incorporating student perspectives and fostering autonomy can improve engagement and lead to more successful implementation.

3. Informal structural headings. The paper is structured using headings like "Assertion #1," "Assertion #2," "Assertion #3," and "Assertion #4" to organize its body paragraphs. Using "Assertion" as a heading makes the paper read more like a persuasive essay or opinion piece rather than a formal academic literature review. The author could replace these headings with thematic, descriptive titles (e.g., "The Need for Implementation Policies," "Student Perspectives and Autonomy," "The Digital Divide and Equity," and "Risks of Overreliance") to better align with standard academic review structures and improve reader navigation.

Minor points.

· The paper refers broadly to "recent technological advancements in the 21st century"; specifying the timeline of GAI's rise in education (e.g., over the last few years) would be more precise.

· The source by Seo et al. is cited in the Introduction as "(Kyoungwon, et al., 2025)", using the first author's given name rather than surname, and with a different year from the bibliography (2024). The article appeared online in March 2024 and in volume 57 in 2025; either year is defensible, but the citation and bibliography should match.

Competing interests. I have no competing interests.

Competing interests

The author declares that they have no competing interests.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The author declares that they did not use generative AI to come up with new ideas for their review.