NSWEduChat
NSW Department of Education staff and students in Years 5 to 12 now have access to NSWEduChat, the department’s generative artificial intelligence tool, providing them with a safe and secure way to explore the benefits of generative artificial intelligence.
Introduction to NSWEduChat
NSWEduChat is the secure, department-owned generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool ensuring security, privacy and equity while offering tailored content for the NSW Education environment.
The tool creates new opportunities to enhance teaching and learning and empowers users to advance their AI skills in a safer environment.
NSWEduChat can simulate many tasks that a human might perform but may not always be accurate. School leaders, teachers and trained, experienced employees in non-teaching positions should apply professional judgement when using NSWEduChat. Staff are expected to apply the safety and ethical checks outlined in our AI Guidelines.
NSWEduChat is currently the safest and most cost-effective generative AI tool available for our schools and staff. NSWEduChat is based in our own cloud environment in Sydney, Australia, data is secure, caters to the NSW educational context and aligns to the NSW AI Assessment Framework.
NSWEduChat trial
In Term 1 2024, the department began a trial of its own generative AI tool, NSWEduChat, for staff and students in Years 5 to 12 in 16 schools, expanding to 50 schools in Term 2.
The objective of the initial trial during Term 1 and Term 2 was to understand the impacts of generative AI on teaching and learning. Following positive feedback, such as teachers reporting work efficiencies, and high engagement from the 50 trial schools, the department enabled access to NSWEduChat to all staff in Terms 3 and 4, 2024.
The trial of NSWEduChat has now concluded and access is available to all Year 5 to Year 12 NSW public school students. To find out more about student access, please visit Student use of NSWEduChat.
Features of NSWEduChat:
- Privacy first: NSWEduChat uses best-practice privacy and data-sharing methods to minimise the risk of data breaches.
- Built-in safeguards: Content is restricted, monitored, and filtered to ensure compliance with department standards.
- Tailored content: Content aligns with the department’s policies and resources. Staff always have the responsibility to check the accuracy of any content produced by NSWEduChat.
- Student mode: Students can only access NSWEduChat in student mode. NSWEduChat’s student mode does not just give direct answers to students. Instead, it provides guidance and asks open-ended questions encouraging students to think critically and express their ideas, reasoning, and assumptions. School staff can switch between staff and student mode to support planning and preparing for student lessons using NSWEduChat.
- All data in NSWEduChat stays in Australia: The data is accessible only to the department.
- It is free: NSWEduChat is free of charge for staff and students.
How to access NSWEduChat
Staff and students can access NSWEduChat through:
- the department portal at https://portal.education.nsw.gov.au
- directly via chat.education.nsw.gov.au
Staff and students will need to log in using their NSW Department of Education login. Only the person who logged in should use NSWEduChat.
Staff use of generative AI
Please note that the use of individual free-to-use generative AI tools other than NSWEduChat is neither endorsed nor recommended by the department. While not endorsed, staff still have access to most free-to-use generative AI tools but must use their professional judgement and follow minimum safety practices. For more information see our AI Guidelines.
Student use of generative AI
Student use of generative AI within department networks remains restricted due to concerns about data privacy, student safety, the potential for exposure to harmful or explicit content and content inappropriate for teaching and learning. AI tools and features are only enabled for student use on department networks when they have assessed against the department's Safe AI Ethics Assessment, deemed to meet the department's safety standards and evaluated for pedagogical value and cybersecurity.