Opinion: What does 2025 have in store for AI in Australian education?

EducationDaily

Written by:

Dr Shane Smith, Co-Founder of Education Perfect

As we mark International Day of Education, it’s a fitting moment to look ahead to the state of Australian education in 2025.

While there’s a host of uncertainty surrounding teacher workloads, the national curriculum and student performance, one thing is clear: technology, and specifically AI, will continue to redefine the educational landscape.

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With its power to personalise learning, free up time for teachers, and address educational inequities, AI will usher in a new era of teaching and learning. New research by the World Economic Forum features real-world examples of how AI is benefitting educators, teachers and students globally. This progress does, however, bring important questions about safety, ethics and the evolving role of educators. So, in what ways will AI continue to reshape education this year?

AI will tighten the learning loop

One of AI’s most transformative impacts will be its ability to refine the “learning loop” – a dynamic cycle of personalised feedback that tightens the feedback loop. This cycle is continuous, allowing students to refine their understanding and skills with each iteration. However, not all AI is created equal – using an off-the- shelf chatbot is not the same as using a tool specifically designed for a school setting. It’s essential that educators assess the various tools available, looking for efficacy studies to ensure high-quality output.

We’ve already seen that AI can help tighten this cycle by offering students immediate, actionable guidance, allowing them to revisit and refine their understanding much faster than before. Already, early trials are showing positive signs: based on an internal study of our AI-powered feedback technology amongst almost 20,000 students in Australia and New Zealand, we saw 87 per cent of students reengaging with the AI to improve their answers and 47 per cent average improvement in students’ final response quality.

As one of the only ed-tech platforms currently leveraging the learning loop, we’re heartened to see the first of – hopefully – many real-world results that will help build trust and enthusiasm for using AI in schools.

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Teachers will remain the heart of learning

Fears that AI might replace teachers often dominate conversations about its rise. However, this fails to take into account the extremely varied and nuanced tasks that teachers undertake in the classroom and also severely underestimates the level of expertise and implicit knowledge they bring to bear when teaching. A much healthier future (and one we are driving towards) involves using AI to empower educators and free them up to focus on what they do best – connecting with students.

Teacher shortages and workload strain in Australia is reaching new heights, and with population growth set to rise to almost 36 million by 2050, the strain on public services will only grow. WEF’s study shows that AI has the potential to automate and augment up to 20 per cent of educators’ administrative tasks. As the technology becomes more advanced, it will only further help free teachers to dedicate more time to nurturing critical thinking, creativity and collaboration.

Future AI-powered tools will provide sharper insights into student knowledge gaps, enabling teachers to spark meaningful discussions and design targeted interventions. The relationship between educators and AI will become a powerful partnership, blending human expertise with technological precision.

Safety and privacy will shape AI’s future

With great power comes great responsibility, and the integration of AI into education brings challenges that must be addressed. Given the real implications for trust and safety in educational environments, schools and educators must be vigilant about how AI tools handle their data. They should demand transparency from providers about their data privacy practices to ensure stringent alignment with existing school policies and national standards on data protection.

Building on evolving government safety standards, initiatives like Safer Technologies 4 Schools (ST4S) are
setting crucial benchmarks, ensuring AI tools adhere to rigorous privacy and compliance requirements. But regulation alone is not enough: there must be transparency to build trust. Educators, parents and policymakers must insist on clear, accessible explanations of how data is collected, processed, and stored. In a world where data is invaluable, this safeguarding is imperative.

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The path to equitable learning

AI’s potential to close achievement gaps is one of its most exciting possibilities. By adapting to the unique needs of each student, AI can bring personalised learning to the forefront, levelling the playing field for learners from all kinds of backgrounds. Strategic initiatives to deploy AI tools in under-resourced schools have the power to revolutionise education, ensuring that every student, regardless of their socio-economic status, can benefit from new technology that was once out of reach.

However, realising this vision demands more than technological advancements; it requires commitment. Targeted investment is essential, not only to fund infrastructure and training but to prevent AI from inadvertently widening existing inequalities. Without decisive action, the promise of AI-driven equity risks being overshadowed by disparities in access and implementation.

The future of education is here

AI will not merely support education; it will reshape it. But this transformation must be guided by a commitment to safety, equity and collaboration. By empowering teachers, safeguarding student data, and ensuring equal access, AI can unlock unprecedented opportunities for every student.

As we look to 2025 and beyond, the challenge will be to balance innovation with caution, ensuring AI enhances learning while preserving the human connections that make education truly transformative.

Dr Shane Smith is the co-founder of Education Perfect (EP), a global education technology platform that provides digital learning, assessment, and analytics tools for high schools. Shane’s background in physics, including a PhD from the University of Auckland, laid the foundation for his interest in using technology to support teaching and learning. Shane now leads the EP’s advancements in developing artificial intelligence-driven technology.

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The Education Perfect Group is the leading Australia and New Zealand group of EdTech companies. Combining Education Perfect, Essential Assessment and EdPotential, the Education Perfect Group serves more than 5,250 primary and secondary schools and 2.2 million enrolled students worldwide.

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