The Honourable Guild of AI Educators

At the last meeting of our tongue-in-cheek yet amazing group, a colleague proposed that pupils' skills with AI will be a significant factor in their workplace success — probably the main factor. We already equip children to navigate keyboards, touchscreens, and websites, essentials for the digital age. But looking ahead to 2085, when most of these kids will still be alive, are we preparing them the best we can for AI?

Among the teachers and leaders I work with, attitudes towards AI vary widely. Some are early adopters, leading the charge with enthusiasm. Others cautiously explore before embracing it, while a few resist, fearing the potential risks.  Fire, the wheel, the internal combustion engine — all took a while to catch on and surely had their detractors. But we got there.

Despite teachers' personal use and experimentation with AI, adding it into the curriculum seems rare. It's as if we keep this new tech for ourselves, denying students the chance to engage with tools that will shape their future careers. If we truly honour our students and their futures, we must involve them early on in understanding, evaluating, and using AI. This isn't just about updating our methods; it's about inclusion, and equipping the next generation for their future not our past.

Are you an honourable AI educator? Do you include your children in AI developments and usage?

Not for US and UK?

At the Paris AI Action Summit (Feb. 10th and 11th 2025) , leaders from 60 countries committed to making AI 'sustainable and inclusive,' although the US and UK did not join the pledge. But what do we mean by 'sustainable and inclusive'? Well, the next level down (the 'communique') states, "ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet”. OK. Good. Nice words. Read the media accounts and you'll find careful geo-political exchanges between states about and around the topic, but little about what sustainable looks like in practice; what inclusive means in the moment.

The US and UK did not sign the pledge fearing for, respectively, over-regulation and national security. This doesn't necessarily mean they reject an intent to include and sustain, just that they do not want to be held to account in those areas.

 

How to Include

So, building on an intent short of detail, here's a proposal. 5 ways you can begin today:

• Curriculum: Incorporate AI literacy into the curriculum. Include AI's technology, principles, applications, and ethical considerations.  Discrete lessons or infused into subjects. AI will design this for you. In less than 30 seconds.

• Diversity: Encourage participation from students of all backgrounds in AI-related subjects and extracurricular activities. Survey current AI engagement across all groups and stakeholders. AI will design this survey for you. In less than 30 seconds.

• Ethics: Teach students about the ethical implications of AI, including issues like bias, privacy, and security. Develop an 'anchoring principle' linked to school values and how this might look in day-to-day behaviours and thinking. AI will suggest examples for you. You guessed it.

• Collaboration: Facilitate AI-dependent projects that require pupils to work together, combining their unique perspectives to solve problems. With effective human prompt-craft, AI will design these projects for you.

• Engagement: Partner with local communities to understand their needs and perspectives. Involve communities in the above 4 ideas. AI will suggest starting points and engagement processes.

For now, access to AI is fairly equitable, needing only an internet connection - and permission. But its effective use is currently restricted to those who have permission, purpose and skills - knowing what AI can do for them and how to collaborate well with it. It is up to us educators to include all our students in this next phase of technological development and our greatest ally in doing so is AI itself.

 

The Honourable Guild of AI Educators is a Thinking Classroom WhatsApp group. Members share ideas, ask questions and we meet and learn online once a half term. email me if you'd like to join.

mi**@th***************.uk