AI is changing how Croatian students do homework – and teachers are changing too

ZAGREB, 19 September 2026 – Artificial intelligence is increasingly changing how Croatian pupils and university students approach homework, essays and seminars, prompting teachers and schools to reconsider how knowledge should be assessed.

Teachers interviewed by Dnevnik Nova TV described a growing challenge: assignments that were traditionally used to assess independent writing and research can now be produced in minutes with the help of AI tools.

Students are increasingly familiar with using AI as part of their everyday activities.

One secondary-school student interviewed for the report said that pupils use AI frequently, describing its adoption as something that has become widespread among students.

The growing availability of AI tools has created a new problem for teachers.

An assignment completed outside school may no longer clearly demonstrate how much of the work was done independently by the student.

Dunja Marušić Brezetić, head of Zagreb’s First Gymnasium, said the biggest concern arises when AI is used for tasks specifically designed to require independent thinking.

Essays, written assignments and seminars are among the areas where the change is particularly visible.

The development is forcing schools to consider whether traditional homework remains an effective way of assessing students’ knowledge.

Rather than simply banning AI, educators are increasingly faced with the question of how to distinguish between legitimate assistance and replacing a student’s own work.

The issue is not limited to Croatia. Schools and universities around the world are dealing with the rapid spread of generative AI and its ability to produce text, solve problems and assist with research.

AI can also be used as a learning aid, but the distinction between support and substitution can be difficult to establish.

For teachers, this means that assessment methods may increasingly need to focus on work that demonstrates a student’s own reasoning, understanding and ability to explain what they have learned.

The debate is likely to become more important as AI tools become more capable and more widely available.

For Croatian schools and universities, the challenge is now moving beyond whether students have access to AI to how education should adapt to a technology that is already part of everyday student life.