What do young people actually think about AI in education?
It's a question we should be asking more often, particularly as schools, governments and education systems make decisions about how artificial intelligence should be used in learning.
Six months ago, Elizabeth Knight and the Fogarty Foundation asked me to deliver GenerationAI, a youth-led project designed to explore that exact question.
The goal was to give young people a platform to share their experiences, contribute to research, engage with decision-makers and help shape how AI is approached in education.
Now, after six months of consultations and research, I'm thrilled to share that our flagship report, the GenerationAI Youth Insights Paper, has been published.
Why student voices matter in AI education
Too often, decisions that affect young people are made without meaningfully involving them in the process.
We see this in conversations about technology and education.
Adults debate whether students should use AI, how schools should respond to generative AI and what the future of learning might look like.
But the young people who are directly affected by these decisions don't always have an opportunity to contribute.
And that's a problem.
Young people have strong views about the role AI should play in their education. They have experiences, concerns and ideas that deserve to be part of the conversation.
The challenge is that many young people don't have the platform, connections or opportunities to communicate those views directly to the people making decisions.
Through GenerationAI, we wanted to change that.
What is the GenerationAI project?
GenerationAI is a youth-led initiative delivered with the Fogarty Foundation to better understand young people's perspectives on artificial intelligence in education.
Rather than simply asking adults what they think students need, the project created opportunities for young people to contribute directly.
It brought together youth ambassadors who could consult with their peers, gather perspectives and help communicate those insights to researchers, educators and policymakers.
This approach matters because young people are not just users of AI technology.
They are students whose learning experiences are being shaped by it.
They are developing the skills they will need in a world where AI can increasingly generate information, complete tasks and make recommendations.
Their perspectives should help inform how we respond.
Six months of listening to young people across WA
Over the past six months, I worked alongside a team of eight youth ambassadors to conduct consultations with youth groups and survey nearly 300 young people across Western Australia.
Our goal was to understand their opinions and ideas about AI in education.
We wanted to hear directly from young people rather than make assumptions about what they think.
The project created opportunities for participants to discuss their experiences with AI, consider its role in learning and contribute ideas about how education should respond.
Importantly, this wasn't just about collecting survey responses.
It was about creating a process where young people could participate in research and contribute to conversations that usually happen without them.
The youth ambassadors played an important role in making that possible.
By involving young people in the consultation process itself, GenerationAI was designed to create a more meaningful form of youth participation.
What can schools learn from young people's perspectives on AI?
AI is already changing how students access information, approach schoolwork and develop their understanding of different subjects.
Schools are having to make decisions about AI tools, assessment, academic integrity and the skills students need.
But effective AI education requires more than simply deciding which tools students can or cannot use.
We also need to understand how young people experience these technologies.
What do they find useful?
What concerns do they have?
What skills do they believe they need?
And what changes would they like to see in their education?
These are important questions for schools developing AI policies, curriculum approaches and student learning opportunities.
Student consultation can help educators understand the practical issues young people are encountering, rather than relying only on adult assumptions.
It can also create opportunities for students to contribute ideas about how AI should be introduced and discussed in the classroom.
AI literacy needs to be informed by young people
One of the biggest conversations happening in education is what students actually need to learn about AI.
There is often a strong focus on practical tools and prompting skills.
But AI literacy is much broader than knowing how to use a chatbot.
It includes understanding how AI works, recognising its limitations, questioning the information it produces and thinking critically about when it is appropriate to use.
It also includes conversations about privacy, data, ethics and the impact AI can have on learning and decision-making.
Young people should have opportunities to contribute to how these topics are taught.
After all, they are the ones navigating these technologies while developing the knowledge and skills they will need throughout their lives.
Listening to students doesn't mean every suggestion must become policy.
It means their experiences and ideas should be considered alongside the perspectives of teachers, researchers, parents and policymakers.
The GenerationAI Youth Insights Paper is now available
I'm absolutely thrilled that the GenerationAI Youth Insights Paper has now been published.
The report brings together the work of our youth ambassadors and the young people who contributed their perspectives throughout the project.
It is intended to help inform conversations about the future of AI in education.
If you're a school leader, educator, researcher, policymaker or someone interested in how artificial intelligence is affecting education, I'd encourage you to read it.
The report provides an opportunity to hear from young people themselves and consider how their perspectives can inform decisions about AI.
Read the GenerationAI Youth Insights Paper
Young people deserve a place in decisions about AI
We are making significant decisions about the role AI will play in education.
Those decisions will influence how students learn, what skills they develop and how they prepare for a future where AI is increasingly part of everyday life.
Young people should be part of that conversation.
GenerationAI was created to give them a platform to contribute their experiences, ideas and perspectives directly to the people shaping education.
I'm grateful to Elizabeth Knight, the Fogarty Foundation, our eight youth ambassadors and the young people across WA who contributed to this project.
Their involvement is a reminder that meaningful student participation takes more than simply asking young people what they think.
We need to create opportunities for them to be heard and for their perspectives to inform the decisions being made.
Through my AI literacy workshops and presentations, I work with schools to help students strengthen their critical thinking, understand AI and develop the human skills they need in an increasingly automated world.
And a big part of that work is listening to young people.
Because decisions about AI in education should include the students whose futures they will shape.
