Students at eight South Australian public high schools are trialling an artificial intelligence (AI) app – the first of its kind in the nation – with the safety of students a key focus.

AI has become a feature of working lives already and will continue to do so in the future, with South Australian public schools focused on ensuring students are equipped with the right skills to protect themselves online.

Without teaching our young people how to use AI in a safe way, we would be doing them a disservice by not preparing students for the jobs of the future.

The app, which has been designed in partnership with Microsoft, shows students how to use AI to support their studies, while also having parameters in place to protect students from inappropriate information.

Microsoft Australia and New Zealand Director for Education, Tiffany Wright said Microsoft is deeply committed to the responsible development and deployment of AI and proud to partner with South Australia’s Department for Education to create Australia’s first generative AI chatbot specifically for use in schools and built from the ground up with student safety in mind.

“This collaboration is enabling the Education Department to put its responsible AI principles into practice, innovating in a way that minimises content risks while prioritising students’ privacy and data security.”

“This chatbot embodies our belief that when designed with integrity and robust safeguards, AI can be a powerful tool for enhancing the educational experience of students in a secure and responsible manner.”

The new generative AI chatbot, which is built on the same technology as ChatGPT, has extra design features to better protect students accessing information which might put them at risk. It will also have better privacy and security controls.

The chatbot will be named in conjunction with the students first using it and will undergo an eight-week trial at eight schools.

South Australia is the only jurisdiction in the country to not have banned AI in schools.

In addition to trialling the app, there will also be guidance for schools and parents around the use of AI in education more broadly.

This includes outlining ways AI can provide educational opportunities through chatbots, image and video generation and intelligent tutoring systems. The advice also provides guidance about managing risks and additional resources.

The schools participating in the trial are Ceduna Area School, Streaky Bay Area School, Adelaide Botanic High School, Adelaide High School, Mitcham Girls High School, Unley High School, Thebarton Senior College, Glenunga International High School.

“We are excited to trial this purpose-built chatbot to support our thinking around the possibilities and implications of AI for teaching and learning. The development of this tool is an important step in assisting us deliver ethical, inclusive, and equitable use of AI in education, with a focus on empowering our female learners," said Mitcham Girls High School Principal Rosie Heinicke.

“By embracing a human-centred approach to using AI and teaching our young people to understand and use this powerful technology, we can enable them to be future-ready learners.

“We want our students to be able to thrive in this rapidly evolving technological space and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”

The Department is also working with South Australian based immersive technology company, Lumination, to develop a student challenge using AI.