‘A reckoning is coming’: What concerns Aussies most as AI use increases in classrooms

Artificial Intelligence has long been considered commonplace across corporate environments – its implementation a textbook case of ‘board the train, or be left at the station.’

But from what age should this rapidly evolving tool be phased into school curriculums, if at all? It’s a contentious topic – and one that has left Aussie families divided.

The use of generative AI in classrooms has become an everyday reality for students and staff, shifting from initial bans to curriculum-aligned integration.

But despite education departments’ ‘humans-plus-AI’ stance, there is limited research on the potential impact it may have on student learning outcomes long-term.

In an exclusive nine.com.au poll, 1209 readers shared their views on AI’s place in Aussie schools.

They were asked at what age children should be taught to navigate GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, in addition to whether these tools should be allowed for study purposes.

The response was telling, with 40 per cent believing high school-age and above to be the earliest appropriate time to introduce AI education, while 28 per cent believed it should not be taught in schools at all. Fifteen per cent said primary school was an appropriate time, whereas 17 per cent said it should only begin in higher education.

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National push for teachers to use AI in Aussie schools

But for many children, the train has already left the station. Per TrendLife research, around three quarters of parents said their school-aged children used AI tools for assignments, study help and research.

As to whether respondents in our poll believed AI use in this context should be allowed in Australia, 45 per cent opposed the idea altogether, while just four per cent supported it.

Of the remainder, 37 per cent said it should only be used for specific, teacher-assigned tasks, while 14 per cent supported its use only with adult supervision or parental controls.

When asked if they consider using AI to write a school essay cheating, 75 per cent said yes, 19 per cent said only if the teacher didn’t permit it, and six per cent said it was “no different from using a calculator or research tool”.

But overall, many accepted its growing prominence in learning processes was “inevitable” – and that the best route forward was education surrounding ethical use.

“What we should – or perhaps must – try to do is teach children how to harness its positive opportunities while not becoming unthinking slaves to it,” one respondent commented.

Others expressed far more hardline views, with one dubbing the introduction of AI in schools “disastrous,” while another stated there was “no point shielding [students] from it.”

“They will likely use it in their jobs once they grow up, so they may as well use it [now],” they said.

Across all poll responses, one notable theme emerged: concern over the ramifications of AI use on developing brains.

60 per cent said plagiarism and loss of critical thinking skills were their main concerns, followed by exposure to inaccurate or biased information (29 per cent).

A recent study from UTS, Artificial intelligence, cognitive offloading and implications for education, warned of a “growing body of evidence” that pointed towards the detrimental effects of AI use on school-aged children.

“AI can short-circuit the cognitive effort required for sustainable, deep learning, with potentially long-term consequences,” it stated.

“This cognitive offloading from human to AI is especially risky for school students when they turn to AI as a tempting substitute, not an amplifier.”

According to the study, this increased dependency on the tool could cause students to lose deeper learning and critical thinking capabilities.

The Federal Government’s next move

Just this month, Minister for Education Jason Clare declared there was “a reckoning coming” for Australian schooling in the age of AI, announcing Education Ministers’ plans to come together in just over a week to discuss “digital detoxes” and limits on screen time for students countrywide.

“There’s a reason we don’t give kids calculators in Kindergarten,” Clare said.

“They’ve got to learn how to count before we give them the tools to do it at speed. They’ve also got to learn how to think. AI can undermine this, it’s what’s called ‘cognitive stunting.’”

A number of jurisdictions across the world, including New York and LA, have hit the pause button on AI use in primary schools. But as it stands, there is no blanket ban on AI across Australian classrooms.

Rather, state, territory and national education authorities regulate its use under the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools.

New South Wales leading AI regulation

New South Wales is currently leading the charge in AI regulation, taking the most decisive action of any state thus far.

NSW Education Minister Prue Car and the NSW Education Standards Authority introduced strict limits on unsupervised take-home assessments for HSC students.

Schools are restricted to a maximum of one take-home assessment task per course, capped at 15 per cent of the school-based assessment component (or 7.5 per cent of the total HSC mark).

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Aussie state to introduce school screen limits amid poor results

Speaking to nine.com.au, Car addressed concerns from school communities, assuring them they were taking “decisive action” to combat the rapid rise of AI in learning environments.

“[We] recognise concerns about students increasingly using generative AI to outsource their thinking during critical years of learning and brain development,” Car acknowledged.

“Mitigating risks to the HSC is a critical first step ... ensuring this internationally recognised credential is protected and students are marked on their own work.”

The department also implemented its own bespoke GenAI tool, NSWEduChat, as an alternative to ChatGPT in 2024.

Rather than providing immediate responses or solutions to queries, the tool prompted students to do their own additional research and utilise critical thinking skills.

“It’s a safe way for students to familiarise themselves with AI, but which is based on the actual curriculum and most importantly, doesn’t allow them to outsource their own thinking,” Car said.

“Reading books and writing with pen and paper aids in thinking and memory. That is why in NSW we are also placing age-appropriate limits on screen use in schools from next year.”

She added the NSW Government was “committed” to ongoing protection of the education system’s integrity – and hoped to soon see a similar response on a national level.

The nine.com.au poll, which runs once a fortnight, canvases the views of the Nine audience on Idea Xchange, which is an online community of our readers and viewers. Learn more and sign up here.