Most Australian students won't graduate into global tech companies. They'll build careers in small and medium businesses. So are schools and universities preparing them for that reality?

In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by Amanda Rose - Co-founder and Director of Women in AI Australia and Founder & CEO of Entrepreneurial & Small Business Women Australia (ESBWA) -to explore what education can learn from the businesses driving Australia's economy.

Amanda shares practical advice on introducing AI without losing critical thinking, why educators should partner with local businesses to bring authentic problem-solving into the classroom, and how simple AI policies can help schools and organisations move from uncertainty to action. The conversation also tackles AI equity, bias in AI systems, and why students need to develop their own voice and judgement before relying on AI tools.

If you're a teacher, school leader, university educator or anyone interested in preparing learners for an AI-enabled workforce, this episode offers practical strategies you can put into practice straight away.

Find out more about:

Women in AI Australia Entrepreneurial & Small Business Women Australia (ESBWA)

This week, Ray and Dan dive into a mountain of new AI in education research, so you don't have to. They unpack major reports from around the world covering how students are really using AI, why schools are still struggling to provide clear guidance, and what the latest AI literacy and education readiness frameworks mean for teachers and leaders. Along the way they discuss Norway's AI restrictions in primary schools, student concerns about AI data centres, new guidance on AI in assessment, and the growing importance of the human skills that AI can't replace. If you're trying to make sense of where AI in education is heading, this episode brings together the latest evidence, trends and practical insights in one conversation. And hopefully you won't have to read all the reports below, but our conversation has given you a head start to find the right one(s) for you!

Power Toys (to turn your Copilot button into a shortcut for any AI) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/keyboard-manager

EU: Norway imposes near ban on AI in elementary schools https://www.reuters.com/technology/norway-imposes-near-ban-ai-elementary-school-2026-06-19/

Australia: Sunshine Coast students push back as Australia positions itself as a global AI leader https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-23/students-protest-ai-amid-growing-national-concerns/106808776

UK: Navigating AI in Education - Pupils' perspectives on the role of AI in the classroom https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/research-reports/Navigating_AI_in_Education_Research_Report_June2026_v05.pdf

US: Common Sense Media Census: AI use by Teens and Tweens https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/a-comprehensive-report-on-teens-tweens-and-ai

Australia: Learning First School Research https://learningfirst.com/s/Learning-First_AI-use-in-schools-Taking-action-now_FINAL.pdf

Global: AI Literacy Framework from OECD & EC https://ailiteracyframework.org/

Global: New WEF report: Shaping the Future of Learning: Education Readiness for the Age of AI https://www.weforum.org/publications/shaping-the-future-of-learning-education-readiness-for-the-age-of-ai/

Australia: AI in Higher Education Research in Australia https://aiinhe.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-hedx-conference-260617_0114.pdf

US: Lumina Foundation/Gallup - "AI in Higher Education: Widespread Use, Unclear Rules" https://www.luminafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Lumina-Foundation-Gallup-SOHE_AI_Report.pdf

Australia: TEQSA's new guidance on detecting AI use in student assessments https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/protecting-academic-integrity/academic-integrity-toolkit/risks-academic-integrity-ai/detecting-plagiarism-ai-generated-text-student-assessments-and-securing-take-home-written-assessments

Global: Preparing students for the future of work from Microsoft https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-preparing-students-for-the-future-of-work.html

Global: QS World Future Skills Index https://www.qs.com/world-future-skills-index/2027

AI systems are increasingly being used in education, but what happens when those systems introduce hidden bias into learning, feedback, assessment and career advice?

In this episode, we're joined by Victoria Hedlund (AKA The AI Bias Girl), founder of GenEd Labs, former physics teacher, consultant and researcher specialising in AI bias in education.

Victoria shares practical examples of how AI tools can produce different outputs based on gender, names, backgrounds and other personal characteristics. From explanations of how a light bulb works to career guidance and assessment, we explore how seemingly small biases can compound over time and influence attainment, wellbeing and opportunity.

The conversation covers AI tutors, safeguarding concerns, assessment risks, the importance of keeping humans in the loop, and why educators need to adopt a more experimental mindset when working with generative AI.

This is a thought-provoking discussion about fairness, agency and what every teacher needs to know as AI becomes increasingly embedded in education.

For more background, here's two bits of Victoria's writing:

Deep dive on using AI for marking https://victoriahedlund.substack.com/p/bias-bytes-special-edition-evidence

Deep dive on Squishmallow Top Trumps https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriamhedlund_biasgirl-biasaware-chatgpt-ugcPost-7452959849623220225-bIWG

And finally, free downloads from Victoria, including 8 bias-mitigating prompts for teachers, and a growing set of other resources on AI bias in education. https://genedlabs.ai/downloads

What happens when AI helps students earn more A grades, and also contributes to more failures when it's taken away?

In this episode, Ray and Dan explore new research on AI's impact on student performance, assessment integrity, and learning. They discuss studies linking AI to rising grades, the risks of over-reliance on AI, and growing evidence that AI tutors may support learning better than general-purpose chatbots.

The conversation also covers AI detectors, AI humanisers, teacher workload, Microsoft's latest Copilot updates, and a new tool for measuring the environmental footprint of AI use.

• Artificial Intelligence and Grade Inflation https://escholarship.org/uc/item/80x8d3qd ps WSJ wrote an article on this https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/a-grades-are-suddenly-everywhere-since-the-arrival-of-chatgpt-845baae7
• Failing grades soar as professors see greater AI usage, dwindling math skills in UC Berkeley computer science classes https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/academics/failing-grades-soar-as-professors-see-greater-ai-usage-dwindling-math-skills-in-uc-berkeley/article_16fad0bf-02cb-4b8c-8d88-888ffd9f8608.html
• Building AI Companions that Prioritise Learning over Performance https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.04816
• Effective Personalized AI Tutors via LLM-Guided Reinforcement Learning https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6423358
• Law Professors prefer AI over peer answers https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/salinas_et_al.pdf
• Fixing teachers' problems? exploring teachers' repair and maintenance work around generative AI technologies https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01596306.2026.2657793\
• Dramaturgies of Deception: AI Humanizers and the Performance of Legitimacy in Higher Education Assessment https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02649
• Homogenizing effect of large language models (LLMs) on creative diversity: An empirical comparison of human and ChatGPT writing https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294988212500091X
• AI Detectors Fail Diverse Student Populations: A Mathematical Framing of Structural Detection Limits https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20254

• Copilot Cowork released https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2026/06/16/copilot-cowork-is-now-generally-available/
• Copilot notebooks released for all free copilot chat basic accounts https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/educationblog/copilot-notebooks-and-study-guide-now-available-to-copilot-chat-users/4527320
• Andy Masley's Carbon footprint calculator| https://www.andymasley.com/visuals/ai-prompt-footprint/

• Mazenod College: Year 12 students caught using AI to cheat https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-09/year-12-students-in-melbourne-caught-cheating-using-ai/106777700

What does it mean to put humans first in the age of AI?

Recorded at the Flourish Conference, this special episode brings together three school leaders who are using AI in very different ways, and with a common focus on human agency.

You'll hear how students are designing their own learning agents, how AI can help teachers make better use of student data while keeping information secure, and how one school is using AI-powered coaching tools to support professional learning and culture change.

Across all three stories, a clear message emerges: the most effective AI initiatives aren't replacing people - they're helping students and teachers flourish.

Featuring:

Alison Perosin (Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Broken Bay Diocese) Hamish Jefferies (John Therry Catholic College) Renée Williams (The Cathedral College, Rockhampton)

A practical look at how schools are building capability, trust and innovation with AI.

Why would a leading law school ban AI entirely while other countries are giving every citizen access to ChatGPT?

In this news-focused episode, Ray and Dan unpack some of the biggest developments shaping AI and education around the world. They discuss China's new national AI education strategy, Malta's ambitious "AI for All" programme, Harvard's expansion of student AI access, and Anthropic's $200 million partnership with the Gates Foundation.

The conversation explores a controversial decision by the University of California, Berkeley School of Law to prohibit AI use in assessed work, raising important questions about judgement, employability, and the future role of AI in professional education.

They also examine new research on how people are actually using AI, why Australian students' digital literacy is falling despite increased screen time, and what educators can learn from a high-profile academic integrity case involving an AI-assisted newspaper article.

Finally, they highlight Jason La Greca's excellent framework for testing and stress-testing educational chatbots before they are deployed to students.

All the links:

What is the purpose of education in an AI-driven world?

In this thought-provoking episode of the AI in Education Podcast, Ray and Dan sit down with Pasi Sahlberg to explore one of the biggest questions facing schools, universities, and society today.

Drawing on global research, OECD trends, and decades of educational leadership, Pasi explains why traditional measures of success - achievement, credentials, and test performance - may no longer be enough in the age of AI.

The conversation explores:

• Human capital vs human flourishing
• Why wellbeing and agency matter more than ever
• The future of assessment and PISA
• AI's impact on work, learning, and society
• Why "hope is not a strategy"
• What schools should prioritise over the next decade

The episode also reflects on parenting, teacher accountability, screen time, and the human skills that may become most valuable as AI capabilities accelerate.

Referenced in this episode:

OECD Education for Human Flourishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/education-for-human-flourishing_73d7cb96-en.html

An accidental guru: The making of an education warrior https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073805932600060X

Sir Ken Robinson at TED - Do Schools Kill Creativity? https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity

.

This special live episode of the AI in Education Podcast was recorded at the CEnet Future:Forward Conference "Flourish 2026", where Dan and Ray explored one of the biggest questions facing education today: how do schools find the "happy middle" with AI?

The conversation dives into the shifting narrative around AI and jobs, the growing role of human agency in education, and why wellbeing, flourishing and trust must remain central as AI adoption accelerates. Along the way, they unpack new research on AI bias, AI detectors, cognitive debt, student safety, and the widening gap between individual innovation and organisational readiness.

The episode also reflects on keynote insights from Pasi Sahlberg and discussions around OECD flourishing metrics, parent engagement, and what schools can do now to bring entire communities along on the AI journey.

This is a thoughtful, practical and deeply human conversation about balancing opportunity, risk and responsibility in education's AI future.

Topics covered:

• AI and the future of work
• Human flourishing and wellbeing
• AI bias in education
• Safe AI use in schools
• Parent and community engagement
• AI detectors and academic integrity
• The "happy middle" approach to technology adoption

Research Papers, and links to things we discussed

• The changing tune of the AI leaders: The Jobs Apocalypse no more...See these tweets for last year's story: Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, and Mustafa Suleyman And this year's story: Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang

• Microsoft's Work Trend Index report 2026 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/agents-human-agency-and-the-opportunity-for-every-organization
• Pasi Sahlberg His website: https://pasisahlberg.com/ OECD research he discussed: https://www.oecd.org/en/data/dashboards/pisa-education-and-skills/digital-leisure-outside-school.html (the chart was from Figure 2.4 here)
• Victoria Hedlund, the "AI Bias Girl' https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriamhedlund/ and on Substack at https://victoriahedlund.substack.com/ Her LinkedIn post that kicked off the SquashMallow test: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriamhedlund_biasgirl-biasaware-stem-activity-7454786540133584896-E64
• The retracted Nature research paper on AI in Education: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04787-y
• Think U Know: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/

Inside Sydney's AI Hub: Building University Automation That Works In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by Dan Hart, now leading the Automation and Innovation Hub at the University of Sydney. Dan shares how the Hub has evolved from a robotic process automation team into a university-wide service using automation and AI to improve everyday work. With around 400 automated processes running across the university, the team helps staff remove repetitive, time-consuming tasks without taking away the human parts of their roles. The conversation explores practical examples, including AI-powered invoice processing, and how generative AI is changing the software development lifecycle. Dan explains how tools like Cursor and AI-assisted coding are speeding up development, while also raising important questions about security, code quality, workload intensity, and developer wellbeing. The episode also dives into vibe coding, what it means for enterprise systems, and why the future of software development may depend less on hand-writing code and more on communication, problem-solving, and understanding users.

We kick off Series 17 with a multi-interview episode!

Recorded live at the The Anglican Schools Corporation "Day of AI" in Western Sydney, this episode brings together three educators who are reshaping teaching, assessment and student learning in real classrooms with AI.

You'll hear from Maria Mertzanakis at Oran Park Anglican College on how teachers are building shared "Brains" in NotebookLM to save time, improve differentiation and support pedagogy, while reducing workload by more than 50 hours a week across staff workflows.

Nathan Jones from Marsden Park Anglican College shares how AI is opening new creative possibilities for students and teachers alike, and why schools needed to guide students toward using AI well rather than trying to ban it.

And Patrick Ell from Roseville College explores what happens in a "post-product world", where assessment can no longer rely on trust in the final submission alone. His focus? Designing learning experiences that value process, thinking and cognitive craft.

We had a lovely grounded, practical and optimistic conversation with these teachers, who are leading from the front as schools navigate the realities of AI in education. Really great to have been invited to attend and participate by Julian Ridden, the TASC Head of AI.