Between Acceptance and Scepticism: An Investigation into Secondary School Students' Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence in Chemistry Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into daily life and various other sectors, including medicine, agriculture, and education. While AI offers personalized learning, automated feedback, and reduced teacher workload, its formal use in schools remains limited. Nonetheless, many students already engage with AI tools such as ChatGPT to understand concepts and access information, raising questions about their perceptions and competencies. This study investigates students' prior experience with AI in school as well as their AI literacy. Further, it examines changes after a teaching unit using AI tools and compares AI supported learning to traditional instruction. Results indicate that hands-on exposure enhances students' self-efficacy, cognitive engagement and ethical awareness, though confidence in creating AI-driven solutions remains lower. Students valued both AI-supported and teacher-led learning, suggesting that students benefit most from hybrid approaches. Ethical considerations were prominent, emphasizing fairness and responsible use, yet technical understanding of AI design lagged behind. Overall, structured AI education can strengthen skills, ethical reflection, and problem solving, but successful integration requires balancing technological tools with teacher guidance, supporting higher-order skills, and promoting sustained engagement.