The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education, and Training has tabled its report, Study Buddy or Influencer, following its inquiry into the use of generative artificial intelligence in the Australian education system.
Committee Chair, Ms Lisa Chesters MP, said ‘Generative AI (GenAI) presents exciting opportunities and yet high stakes risks for the Australian education system.’
The Committee’s 25 recommendations explore how Australian schools can maximise the opportunities presented by GenAI while successfully mitigating the risks in using the emerging technology, and ensuring adequate safeguards and guardrails are in place to prevent misuse.
A key focus of the recommendations is to integrate generative artificial intelligence into Australia’s national curriculum as a study buddy for all students to use. These tools need to be fit-for-purpose, relevant to the Australian context, sensitive to gender and cultural considerations, and trained on data that is based on the national curriculum.
The Committee identified that this technology has the potential to enhance educational experiences and deliver stronger student outcomes, particularly for Australia’s most vulnerable cohorts of students.
The Committee also believes, risks related to the use of the technology must also be addressed urgently. Of particular importance is the need to protect users’, especially students’ data, and ensure that educational providers do not select GenAI tools that will store users’ data offshore or sell them to third parties.
The Committee recognises that generative artificial intelligence technology may outpace the parameters of the terms of reference of this report, and these recommendations may need to be reviewed in the future.
Ms Chesters said that ‘these recommendations will forge a strong foundation to regulate the application of generative artificial intelligence in Australia’s education sector and if managed correctly GenAI in the Australian education system will be a valuable study buddy and not an algorithmic influencer.’
The full report of the inquiry can be found on the Committee’s inquiry webpage.
