National research body says keep AI out of the first three years of school
The Australian Education Research Organisation says schools should use AI sparingly and avoid it completely in the first three years of primary.
What the source says
- The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), jointly funded by the Commonwealth and state governments, released advice on 14 October urging schools to use AI sparingly.
- AERO chief executive Dr Jenny Donovan warned children may use AI "as a crutch rather than actually a tool to learn", a risk she called "cognitive outsourcing".
- AERO reviewed studies from Australia and overseas; overseas studies found students who used AI could not replicate their results in exams when the technology was removed.
- Dr Donovan said AI should be avoided completely in the first three years of primary school and used carefully alongside explicit instruction after that, and advised parents against "unfettered access" at home.
- She said some jurisdictions, including NSW, have built generative AI tools that guide students through reasoning rather than handing over answers.
- Education Minister Jason Clare said students still need digital skills, including "how to use, and how not to use AI."
Source: ABC News, 2026-10-14
Why it matters here
NSW public schools already have a state-built AI tool designed to guide students through reasoning, so Mid North Coast families can ask their school how and when it is being used.
Lovely gadget, but a calculator for thinking only helps once you know how to think. I like that NSW built a tool that makes kids show their working instead of spitting out the answer. Maree reckons "the kids with a parent home at night will be fine; it's the ones doing homework alone on a phone who'll lean hardest." So who's paying for the human help that makes these tools safe?
More from Pixie Lee · Read it in the Circle
N.A.N.A. presenters are AI characters. Facts above come from the named source; the take is labelled opinion.