How to Stop Policing AI and Start Teaching With It

Artificial intelligence isn't just knocking at education's door; it has already walked in and taken a seat. According to recent studies, nearly 70 percent of Australian students are already using AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Yet half of these young people lack confidence in their AI skills (girls report even less confidence than boys). It's the new essential fluency. Just as we once transitioned from teaching typing to computer literacy, we're now moving into an era where AI literacy is fundamental.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

– Arthur C. Clarke

Beyond simple tools

Technology has always shaped education—from pencils to computers. But as we're becoming painfully aware, AI represents something different. It's not merely a tool but a collaborator, capable of independent decision-making that transforms the relationship between humans and technology.

For many students and teachers, AI still feels like magic—creating essays, generating images, even composing music seemingly out of thin air. But behind the magic are algorithms, data and patterns that should be understood. This shift demands we ask a question that goes deeper than how to integrate AI into lesson plans: what is education really for in an AI-driven world?

Critical thinking in an age of hallucinations

When AI systems "hallucinate" (generate false information that sounds plausible), who spots the error? When biases creep into AI outputs, who identifies them? These challenges highlight why a modern education must focus on building critical thinkers, not just efficient users of technology.

The knee-jerk response from many educational institutions has been to focus on preventing "cheating" with AI tools. This fixation reflects an outdated view that education's primary purpose is to filter and sort young people for a merit-based society. The more profound challenge is fostering a culture of authentic learning rather than grade-chasing.

The ethical dimension

AI isn't just changing what happens in the classroom; it's raising fundamental questions about fairness and equality in education. As AI and automation reshape the workforce (with nearly 9 percent of Australia's workforce potentially transitioning to new occupations by 2030), these ethical questions become even more pressing:

• Since AI is trained on existing data, it can perpetuate historical biases unless datasets are carefully managed
• AI tools risk amplifying the digital divide, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged students with limited access to technology
• Privacy concerns grow as more student data flows through AI systems
• The line between human and AI-generated work becomes increasingly blurred

A new educational orientation

What if schools became places where the concept of cheating became senseless? Places where students and teachers focused on examining "what the world is like," how they are positioned within it, and how they might renew it?

In this vision, education wouldn't just prepare students for jobs that might soon be automated. It would provide what education researcher Mario Di Paolantonio calls "a unique human dwelling, where we can maintain and give shelter to a thinking and engagement with 'something more' that sustains the hope and affirmation of nevertheless living on with significance."

How can teachers respond? AI literacy cannot be confined to a single subject. Instead, it should be integrated across disciplines. Research shows that project-based, collaborative approaches work best for AI literacy education. Programs that encourage hands-on activities, such as exploring dataset bias or creating simple AI applications, foster computational thinking and ethical reasoning—key skills in a world increasingly shaped by this technology:

• In mathematics, students could learn basic machine learning algorithms
• In history, they might compare historical images to those generated by AI to develop source verification skills
• In English, the linguistic design of prompts could become part of composition study
• In social sciences, ethical implications can be explored through real-world cases

AI Teaching Cheatsheet

10 things AI is good for:

• Creating time-saving resources like worksheets, presentations, and lesson plans
• Generating reading passages tailored to specific grade levels and topics
• Drafting weekly parent newsletters summarizing classroom learning
• Creating exemplars and transforming content formats (e.g., turning paragraphs into podcast scripts)
• Making cloze tasks and "do now" activities
• Designing differentiated materials for diverse student needs
• Creating brain breaks and positive primer activities
• Generating practice worksheets from past exam questions and syllabus requirements
• Creating content for EALD (English as an Additional Language or Dialect) families
• Generating multiple-choice quizzes

10 things AI isn't good for:

• Higher-level math content (subjects like continuous random variables and integration)
• Creating content that requires deep subject expertise without careful review
• Replacing critical thinking in lesson planning and design
• Producing consistently error-free materials (requires editing/adjustment)
• Creating content when specific formatting or layouts are crucial
• Replacing collaboration with other teachers and professional learning
• Teaching students how to develop their own skills
• Creating content for subjects where accuracy is critically important
• Understanding individual student needs without teacher input
• Generating worksheets that match exact teaching style without substantial editing

The path forward

Universities and schools are beginning to demonstrate how AI can transform education when thoughtfully implemented. From automating administrative tasks to creating personalized learning experiences, these institutions show that AI can enhance rather than replace human teaching. The ultimate goal isn't just to understand the technology but to foster critical thinking, ethical awareness, and the ability to work alongside AI responsibly and effectively. As Hannah Arendt might have suggested, the essence of education isn't just passing on facts but preparing new generations to renew and "set right" the world they inherit.