Built Differently

Abstract
Debates about artificial intelligence (AI) in education often focus on cheating. This paper argues that AI, used with purpose and care, is a tool that helps students work and learn, enhancing rather than replacing the learner. Drawing on research and on the author’s experience as an adult learner with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dysgraphia, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and suspected autism, the paper explains how these conditions affect attention, sensory processing, reading, writing, and memory. It then describes the regulation strategies that make learning possible and the AI tools that support it: text-to-speech, dictation, AI-assisted note-taking, note organization, flashcards and retrieval practice, and AI-generated music. Comparing AI with earlier labour-saving technologies, the paper concludes that AI should be judged by how it is used, not by whether it is used.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, assistive technology, neurodiversity, ADHD, dyslexia, universal design for learning