Table of Contents
Overview #
Guidance on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Scotland’s schools has been published for the first time.
The guidance aims to support those working in schools to use AI in a fair, safe and ethical way.
It provides information on the potential benefits of using AI and the issues to be mindful of, while giving examples of how AI can be used appropriately in the classroom.
The guidance has been developed jointly with the EIS teaching union and with input from local government, Education Scotland and others, in response to the growth in the use of AI across society.
5 Core Principles #
5 Core Principles in more detail #
Click on the information icon next to each core principle.
AI use must ensure the safety and privacy of children and young people and staff by prioritising children’s rights, teacher judgement, ethical standards, and data protection.
- Teachers, children and young people, and education leaders must be supported to
develop an appropriate understanding of how AI works, its impacts, and its risks. This
is important in developing an understanding of its capabilities, biases, and limitations
to ensure responsible use. - An ethical approach to AI, embedded within human-centred teaching and learning, is
an approach designed to enhance learning experiences, foster human connection and
support professional judgement. - Teachers are able to decide whether, when, and how to use AI in their classrooms.
Where they decide to use AI, this must be done in line with overarching local authority
infrastructure, guidance and permissions. - Local authorities have specific legal responsibilities under data protection law, which
are detailed within Section 4 of this guidance. Notwithstanding this, as a general
principle all AI users should understand how to protect data and safeguard pupils’
and teachers’ sensitive and/or personal information; this is critical to maintaining their
safety, rights, and confidence in digital tools. - Schools and local authorities must update existing digital technology policies to reflect
the ethical use of AI. This should be carried out in consultation with teacher trade
unions, and other stakeholders, including children and young people and parents and
carers. This is necessary to define and underpin the ethical, safe and professionally
responsible use of AI in educational contexts
The use of AI must be underpinned by equity and fairness.
- The use of AI in schools must recognise and address the fact that children and young
people’s access to digital learning tools, including AI, is variable and may be limited by
a range of factors, including socio-economic disadvantage, geographical difference, and
access to appropriate devices and connectivity. - Where AI is used, it should support a human-centred approach to teaching and
learning which values the diversity of children and young people and enhances
different ways of learning and differentiated pedagogical approaches. - When deployed effectively, some AI-enabled technologies have the potential to help
overcome barriers to learning for some children and young people, including those
with disabilities and additional support needs. The views of children and young people
should always be sought and considered on the use of such technologies in their
learning. - Where AI is used in school learning, including homework, schools should aim to ensure
equitable outcomes for all children and young people. This includes ensuring that all
children and young people have the means to participate equitably. Consideration
should be given to ensuring that, where AI is used, pupils in Gaelic Medium Education
(GME) have access to AI through the medium of Gaelic language.
AI must support the aims of the Curriculum
- Scotland’s curriculum is designed to ensure that our children and young people are
equipped with the knowledge, skills and understanding to participate in the workforce
and society of the future. Learning about AI can support this goal, assisting our
children and young people by harnessing its advantages while ensuring that it neither
deskills pupils nor disadvantages them in their development. - Children and young people should learn about, understand and use AI, in appropriate
contexts, as part of their entitlement to opportunities to develop skills for learning,
skills for life and skills for work. - Whilst recognising the increasing importance of digital skills and learning, schools
should seek an appropriate balance between digital and non-digital forms of learning
that recognises the primacy of human-centred, relational and social experiences of
learning. - As Scotland’s curriculum evolves through the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, learning
about and using AI is expected to become more common and embedded across
teaching and learning, requiring continuous evaluation of the role of AI in education.
AI must foster human connection and inclusivity.
- AI must support and enhance, rather than replace, human-centred teaching and
learning in schools. It must not make decisions on behalf of teachers or schools. - Educators and education leaders should be supported to ensure that the AI tools
they utilise are accessible and support should be provided to ensure that the outputs
resulting from the AI tools are unbiased and contribute to inclusive learning and
teaching. - The integration of AI should support learning and is not intended to replace peer-to
peer interaction or act as a substitute for teacher involvement. - AI applications used in education to assess the progress of children and young people,
or for other assessment purposes, should be applied with teacher oversight and used
as part of a holistic approach.
AI must foster human connection and inclusivity.
- Teachers, in line with their professional standards, local policies and wider statutory
obligations, should be empowered to decide when and how to use AI tools to support
learning and teaching, and adapt it to their specific classroom needs. They should also
be aware of when AI has been integrated into existing digital products or platforms. - Teachers should be supported to access high-quality professional learning and support
so that they can make informed decisions about whether when, and how, to integrate
AI into their practice confidently, safely, and effectively. - Ongoing evaluation of AI tools, with teacher input, should be supported to explore
potential benefits for teachers, such as freeing up more time for teachers to focus on
direct engagement with pupils. - AI systems, like all digital tools, should not be adopted or used uncritically and
teachers and children and young people should be empowered to critique and
challenge the outputs. Where adopted, AI should support educational goals, not define
or control them. - AI applications used in education, and the outputs thereof, must not be used to
monitor or analyse teachers’ performance.
Roles and Responsibilities #
Guidelines and Guardrails Document #
Guidance and exemplification for schools and other education settings on the safe and ethical use of AI in education.
Click the link below to find out more information and to download the full guidelines and guardrails document.