New AI App in NSW Will Not Replace Work of Teachers: Minister

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A new generative artificial intelligence (AI) app has been developed by the New South Wales (NSW) government for teachers in public schools to automate administrative tasks.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car provided reassurance that NSWEduChat does not replace the valuable work of teachers.

“It helps them to save time, tailor their resources, and focus on their critical work in the classroom,” she said in a statement.

“Teachers who have been using this tool say it’s helping them spend less time on admin, enabling them to focus on teaching.”

The AI app NSWEduChat was tested in 16 schools at the beginning of 2024 before the trial was broadened to 50 schools in the second term.

Feedback showed the app “significantly improved workload efficiency” and enabled teachers to spend more time teaching.

Saves More Than an Hour a Week of Time

Teachers who were involved in the AI app trial saved more than one hour per week producing lesson resources.

Staff were able to gain “significant time” checking correspondence, newsletters, and preparing material to suit different abilities.

The government is aiming to reducing the administrative load on teachers by five hours per week as part of its work to address the teacher shortage.

Car said the NSW government was proud that the state was leading the world developing its own purpose-built generative AI app for education.

“The expansion of this trial to all teachers is part of our work to reduce the admin burden and get more teachers in front of our students,” she said.

The app is based in the department’s own cloud environment, which the minister says keeps data secure. Staff use is optional and they are provided with professional training and workshops.

The technology will be available to all teachers by the start of the fourth term in what will be “one of the world’s largest systemic rollouts” for AI chat for teachers.

Separate Version for Students

There is also a separate version of NSWEducChat for students. According to the NSW Education Department, student use of generative AI within department networks remains restricted.

This is due to concerns about data privacy, student safety, and the fear of exposure to “harmful or explicity content” that could be inappropriate for teaching and learning.

“Only students in stages three to six in trial schools currently have access to NSWEduChat. The trial will be reviewed from Term 4, 2024. This will inform any decisions about the use of NSWEduChat by additional students,” the department stated.

In 2023, the state government announced it would ban the use of ChatGPT in public schools until the trial to safely use the technology was over.

In South Australia (SA), a trial of an AI app at eight public high schools was announced in 2023, which was the first of its kind in the country at the time.

The generative AI chatbot in SA is built on the same technology as ChatGPT but has extra design features to protect the students from risky information and tighter security and privacy schools.

SA Education Minister Blair Boyer said at the time South Australia had embraced the technology, rather than ignore and ban it.

“This is why we have worked with Microsoft to develop a safe version for use in schools,” he said.

Risk of Replacement?

The introduction of AI into schools for teachers comes at a time where concerns have been raised about whether the technology could replace teachers.

A 2023 study, “The AI Revolution in Education: Will AI Replace or Assist Teachers in Higher Education?” suggests that AI has the capacity to assist teachers by automating routine tasks but is unlikely to fully replace educators.

“Findings suggest that although some believe AI may eventually replace teachers, the majority of participants argue that human teachers possess unique qualities, such as critical thinking, creativity, and emotions, which make them irreplaceable,” the 2023 paper said.

“The study reveals that students value and respect human teachers, even as AI becomes more prevalent in education.”

The authors suggest teachers can effectively integrate AI to enhance teaching and learning without viewing it as a replacement.

“To do so, teachers need to understand how AI can work well with teachers and students while avoiding potential pitfalls, develop AI literacy, and address practical issues such as data protection, ethics, and privacy,” the paper said.