Learners and educators in our system need to be prepared for a future where artificial intelligence (AI) is part of everyday life.

NSW led work across Australia to develop the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools (the Framework). The Framework seeks to guide the responsible and ethical use of generative AI tools in ways that benefit students, schools and society. It supports all people connected with school education including school leaders, teachers, support staff, service providers, parents, guardians, students and policy makers. The Framework, as well as the NSW Artificial Intelligence Assessment Framework, guides the department’s approach to generative AI in NSW public schools.

The department's approach to AI

The department’s approach to AI is human-plus-AI approach. This means that we recognise AI’s potential to enhance teaching and learning processes, while focusing on incorporating human expertise and values. The department’s approach encourages a balanced view of technology in education, ensuring that digital platforms and devices are used only in ways that support student engagement and ethically enhance staff efficiency.

The department’s GenAI approach is centred around three core pillars: GenAI Safety, GenAI Capability and GenAI Enablement. This approach is designed to be agile and adaptable to respond to the rapidly emerging AI landscape, while ensuring compliance with the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools the NSW AI Assessment Framework and Australia’s Artificial Intelligence Ethics Framework.

Chief AI Office

AI is a rapidly evolving field, bringing both technology and regulatory challenges. In response to this, the department has established a dedicated Chief AI Office and appointed two Co-Chief AI Officers to oversee AI implementation across the department. The Chief AI Office works to drive a streamlined AI vision across the department, centralising AI governance to ensure alignment of AI initiatives across the system as well as compliance with relevant legislation, policies and frameworks.

Support for staff and schools

The department is aware of its responsibility to support schools to engage safely and productively with GenAI technologies, and aims to take on much of the responsibility of managing potential AI risks through AI governance and risk management processes. These include:

• providing staff access to on demand professional learning relating to AI in the context of data privacy, academic integrity, accountability, ethics and wellbeing.
• testing education specific GenAI solutions and opportunities, including the department’s secure GenAI tool, NSWEduChat.
• continuously reviewing GenAI tools and features to be used on departmental devices. This includes:
  • restricting free-to-use GenAI tools which do not meet the department's safety requirements
  • restricting new commercial arrangements involving GenAI
  • disabling GenAI add-ins enabled by vendors in commonly used platforms (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Classroom) until their review is complete.
• reviewing the department’s operationalisation of the Framework, including assessing policy requirements.