Schools are places of innovation and creativity, and school staff are often early adopters of new and
emerging technologies. However, the profession is rightly concerned about numerous serious issues
related to artificial intelligence, (AI) including veracity of information, respect for intellectual property,
and security of data.
Online privacy and safety concerns for students and school employees remain significant issues.
The IEU welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the House Standing Committee on
Employment, Education and Training inquiry into the use of generative AI in the Australian
education system.
The IEU emphasised a number of key considerations in our submission (full details here):
The voice of the profession must be paramount during this inquiry and any other consultations to
develop AI guidelines for the education sector.
Employers and governments have a joint duty of care to students and school employees to
address these concerns, so that generative AI tools are not a threat to privacy, equity and
wellbeing, but rather a valuable resource that equips learners for future-focused education.
