A redesign of two Advanced Placement courses is underway to address generative artificial intelligence (AI). New approaches to AI instruction, student assessment, and teacher training will launch in the 2027-28 school year, according to an announcement from the College Board, the nonprofit organization offering the SAT and AP courses.
The changes to AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) and AP Seminar were shaped by surveys and focus groups conducted with thousands of AP teachers from April 2025 through June 2026, according to the College Board. The research took a close look at AP CSP due to growing reliance on AI-related skills in computing, and AP Seminar due to the potential effects of AI on writing and research, the board said.
The research found wide variation in how teachers view and use GenAI, along with broad concerns about student overreliance and the need for stronger guidance.
“AP teachers are at the forefront of one of the fastest shifts education has seen in decades,” Jennifer Mulhern, vice president of AP Program Access at College Board, said. “Their feedback made clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to GenAI wouldn’t serve students well. The redesigns of AP Computer Science Principles and AP Seminar reflect what teachers told us: Integrate GenAI where it deepens learning, protect learning where it doesn’t, and give teachers real support either way.”
The redesigned AP CSP course will embed GenAI across core units, including machine learning, algorithm development, data ethics, human decision-making, and AI’s societal impacts. It will also introduce an AI Create Project, a culminating performance task in which students develop their own AI application.
AP Seminar will take a different approach. Responsible GenAI use will remain part of instruction, but students will draft and edit essays that count toward their AP scores in a secure, proctored writing environment without GenAI access. College Board said the approach is intended to preserve independently produced student writing while allowing teachers to address appropriate AI use during instruction.
College Board plans to pair the redesigned courses with updated professional learning. AP CSP teachers will receive support through AP Summer Institutes and partnerships with outside resource providers to build GenAI content knowledge and classroom implementation skills.
Returning AP Seminar teachers will receive training on implementing the secure writing assessment approach; new AP Seminar teachers will also participate in the required AP Summer Institute, which will include more training in how to teach with GenAI, according to College Board.
Research reveals concerns about reliance on GenAI
The College Board research identified significant concerns about students becoming dependent on GenAI. Ninety-two percent of AP teachers surveyed said they were concerned that GenAI could make students overly reliant on technology for basic tasks, and 90% worried it could reduce development of critical thinking skills.
The research also identified a gap in institutional support. Ninety percent of AP teachers agreed that schools have a responsibility to teach students to use GenAI effectively and responsibly, but roughly one-quarter of teachers worked in a school or district without a GenAI policy as of September 2025.
Teachers reported using the technology primarily for preparation rather than assessment. Sixty-three percent said they used GenAI at least sometimes to create or revise teaching materials, 55% used it to detect plagiarism or academic dishonesty, and 53% used it to develop lesson plans. Only 20% reported using it to provide student feedback, and 15% used it for grading or assessment.
