The importance of AI literacy in schools

In this webinar, Susana Tomaz, Futures Education and AI Lead at Westlake Girls’ High School, explores why AI literacy is now essential for schools, focusing on how teachers can prepare students to navigate an AI-enabled world. She draws on research, classroom practice, and international examples to outline the opportunities, risks, and practical steps for integrating AI in education.

Why AI literacy matters

AI is unavoidable and has quickly become embedded in everyday life. Students are already using AI tools, often without guidance. Research shows that much of children’s learning about AI comes from social media rather than educators. This creates an urgent need for schools to act to ensure learners can use AI ethically, responsibly, and critically. There are two major risks for unsupervised AI use. The first is the rise of deepfakes (AI-generated media that impersonates a real person) and misinformation. Children do not always know what is real and what is not. The second is the potential replacement of human interaction with AI. Some children already prefer chatting with machines and if these conversations replace human ones, it can impede social development, build emotional dependency, and potentially expose young people to inappropriate content. These concerns reinforce the need for education that prioritises digital safety, wellbeing, and critical evaluation skills.

The evolving role of teachers

Rather than replacing teachers, AI increases the importance of their pedagogical expertise. Teachers are positioned as learning designers who guide students to collaborate with AI rather than outsource their thinking to it. Their first job is determining which AI tools should be used by students. This will need to be compatible with the software schools already use and safe for minors. Once that decision has been made Susana recommends looking at UNESCO frameworks to develop teacher and student competencies grounded in ethics and human-centred learning. This is because AI literacy is more than technical knowledge. It includes understanding how AI works, recognising limitations such as bias and hallucinations (e.g. inventing data and quotations), using tools ethically, and developing skills for future work alongside AI. These are complicated but necessary skills. Students entering school today will likely graduate into a workforce shaped by advanced AI, so preparing them for this world is an ethical responsibility.

Practical classroom applications

AI can support learning when used intentionally. Some examples include brainstorming ideas, creating personalised revision plans, simulating industry partners in project-based learning, role-playing historical figures, and supporting independent study by taking on the role of a tutor at any time of the day or night. Many AIs now have a study mode that does not give out answers but rather walks students through the steps to find them themselves. The key principle is designing tasks that build cognition and metacognition rather than bypassing learning. In other words, AI shouldn’t do the task for the student, instead it should help to clear any academic blockages allowing the student to successfully complete the work themselves.  

Because AI can increasingly perform lower-level cognitive tasks, education needs to focus more on higher-order skills such as analysis, evaluation, and creativity. As these higher-order skills rely deeply on knowledge, the teacher’s role in ensuring students build sound, coherent bodies of disciplinary knowledge is as important as ever.

Whole-school implementation

Effective AI integration should be a whole-school effort, beginning with awareness, community consultation, and policy development aligned with school values. Building leadership capability, creating clear guidelines, ensuring safety, and supporting teacher professional learning are key steps. Engaging experts, such as a futurist, can help build shared understanding. Schools can also use the free resources from Day of AI, which provides ready-to-use lessons to build foundational AI literacy for Years 5–10.