Weekly Newsletter

Practical AI Strategies

You Don't Need An AI Policy

Hi everyone,

By this point, most schools and universities fall into two camps: Those that have an AI policy, and those that want to write one and feel "left behind". I'm here to tell you that you don't need an AI policy.

I've said this in a few sessions recently, from a full day workshop with vocational educators, to a room full of Primary leaders, and even outside of education in accounting and finance.

It sometimes takes people by surprise. Surely, people think, we need AI policies because these technologies are so new, so wild and so risky. Risk and safety are important, but AI policies aren't the right way to handle these issues.

Instead, I think that you have all the policies you'll ever need. AI is a system, not a "thing". It touches all of the policies already ratified and signed off in your organisation. Policies like: cybersafety, digital user agreements, media and comms, assessment and reporting, and more.

You don't need to spend time writing an AI policy that will be out of date as soon as it's rubber-stamped. In this week's post, I explain what you should do instead.

Read: You Don't Need An AI Policy

IYKYK: A new mental model for learning AI

One of the biggest problems of GenAI is that it's really hard to nail down exactly what it does. This is called the "discoverability problem", and it basically means that most people are stuck in "2023-mode" using products like ChatGPT.

If you used it to summarise, AI is a summariser.

If you used it to search, AI is a search engine.

If you used it to make a quiz, AI is a quiz generator.

The first experience with products like ChatGPT and Copilot set most people's mental models, and it is hard to move beyond that when developers keep giving us "friendly assistants" that look like a Google search box.

In this post, I explore how to move beyond the idea that AI = chatbots. It's the first post in a series, and will be followed soon by some practical examples. Once you know what AI can do, your understanding of the whole technology starts to shift.

IYKYK: How Do We Know What AI Can Really Do?​ ​

Practical AI for Curriculum Leaders

Early bird signups are available now for the Term 2 cohort of Practical AI for Curriculum Leaders: a six week, live and recorded intensive designed for Directors of Teaching and Learning, Assistant Principals of Curriculum, and Faculty Leaders in K-12 and Higher Education.

These live, hands on sessions are capped at 25 people, and the Term 2 cohort will soon be full.

Details on the six week program, structure, and outcomes are available on the website. Early bird access for the April-June cohort is available until April 18th or until places run out.

Learn more about Practical AI for Curriculum Leaders

Cheers,

Leon

---

Stay informed.​
The Practical AI Library curates fresh, practical articles, research, and advice on AI and education—updated every week.
Check it out → Practical AI Library​

---