Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schools: guidelines and guardrails

Ministerial Foreword

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and associated technologies is increasingly permeating all aspects of our lives; from how we solve problems, to how we work and communicate. Given the increasing role of this technology within our society, we have a responsibility to ensure that our children and young people, and the teachers and staff in our schools who support them, are equipped to grasp the opportunities, and navigate the challenges that it presents.

The issues we are facing in Scotland are not unique, with countries around the world grappling with similar questions. This is why Andrea Bradley, General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and I jointly committed to building on work already undertaken by the OECD in developing these guidelines and guardrails for schools.

We have been clear from the outset that AI can never and should never act as a replacement for human interaction within classrooms. The Scottish Government and the EIS share a view that teachers and local authorities should draw on the technology in a safe and ethical way, supporting teacher professional judgement to deliver excellent learning and teaching in our schools.

The guidelines and guardrails align with Scotland’s wider ambition to become a leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI, as set out in our national AI Strategy. They have also been developed within the wider context of work underway across education, including emerging plans for a vision which articulates the role of digital technologies in Education and the ongoing Curriculum Improvement Cycle. This will help to ensure that our curriculum remains forward-looking and supports our children and young people to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to navigate a world in which AI is ubiquitous, while grasping the opportunities that it presents.

This publication comes at a significant moment for children’s rights in Scotland, following the formal incorporation of UNCRC into Scots Law. Children’s rights are embedded throughout the guidelines and guardrails and this publication is accompanied by a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, which is informed by the voices of children and young people themselves.

I am acutely aware that, with any emerging area of practice, teachers and school staff require support to build the required knowledge, skills and confidence. The guidelines and guardrails provide helpful links to available, free to access content, including curriculum resources that we have supported the University of Edinburgh to develop. The newly launched Centre for Teaching Excellence will also have a dedicated Digital Education and AI Hub which will support teachers to engage with the best research and evidence underpinning truly excellent learning and teaching.

I am grateful to our partners across the education system, particularly the EIS, for their constructive engagement throughout the development of the guidelines and guardrails. As the landscape and evidence continues to evolve, these will be updated to ensure that Scotland remains a place where innovation is embraced responsibly and where every child and young person benefits from a contemporary and responsive education system.