AI In Education: Analysis Of The Department Of Education And Youth's Guidance Note For The Use Of AI In Schools

Introduction 

Like most aspects of life at this moment in time, the education system in Ireland is experiencing unprecedented technological transformation, with artificial intelligence (“AI”) emerging as a significant factor in reshaping how schools approach teaching, learning, and administration. In October 2025, the Department of Education and Youth published its "Guidance on Artificial Intelligence in Schools" (the “Guidance”), addressing AI use in schools and establishing an initial foundation for safe and responsible AI integration. This article examines those key takeaways from the Guidance and looks at some of the practical considerations that will arise for schools that intend on adopting AI.

The Guidance serves as a resource designed to equip schools, parents and teachers with the information necessary to make informed decisions about AI integration. The Guidance recognises the dual nature of AI: whilst it offers the potential to enhance educational outcomes and operational efficiency, it simultaneously presents challenges that require careful management and risk mitigation. The framework pursues two interconnected objectives. The Guidance seeks to establish a common understanding amongst teachers regarding AI's capabilities, potential applications within educational contexts and the principles governing responsible AI use. It also aims to enable informed decision-making, ensuring that safety protocols and privacy protections remain paramount in any implementation strategy. The Department has committed to a continuous review and revision of the Guidance, with a revised edition scheduled for release later this year. While the Guidance is intended as a support tool for teachers and school leader to help develop a better understanding of AI, it is not a binding document, and schools are not obliged to follow its contents.

Key Takeaways for the use of AI in Schools

The use of AI in schools raises some ethical concerns that extend beyond legal and regulatory compliance. The following key takeaways from the Guidance should guide schools on navigating through these concerns:

1. Human Oversight

At its core, AI should enable rather than replace the professional judgement of teachers. Teachers must have the final say on what is produced and used in the classroom setting, with AI functioning as a supportive tool rather than an autonomous decision-maker. This principle is of particular importance given that AI may present information that appears to be accurate at first glance, but after careful consideration and fact checking ends up being an “hallucination” that reflects biases inherent in its training data.

2. Reliability, Security and Privacy

Any AI system, including generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini, deployed in an educational setting must demonstrate reliability and maintain appropriate security standards. Schools should thoroughly evaluate any technology prior to adoption to ensure it satisfies the safety criteria appropriate for educational environments. Privacy is a concern, as information inputted into AI systems may not be treated as confidential and could be utilised for model training or disclosed to third parties. In the absence of clear provisions regarding data handling, the Department has advised schools to proceed on the assumption that any information provided to AI systems may enter the public domain.

3. Clarity and Governance

The Department acknowledged that transparency in AI is essential for building trust amongst its users and has advised Schools to clearly communicate when, how and why AI is being used. Additionally, schools are advised to maintain an AI usage policy ensuring accessibility to students, parents and staff, with acceptable use policies and other governance documents explicitly addressing AI usage. 

4. Fairness and Inclusivity

AI intended for educational use requires careful evaluation and testing to identify and address inherent biases that may disadvantage particular groups. The Department has advised schools to regularly review outputs before deployment and throughout ongoing use cases to ensure they are accurate, reliable, and fair.

How Schools can implement AI

The Department has also helpfully provided schools considering AI adoption with a suggested four-stage approach, which covers Purpose, Planning, Policies, and Practice.

1. Purpose

Schools can begin the process by forming a clear rationale for AI adoption and identifying specific educational needs or challenges the technology will address.

2. Planning

Schools will be required to maintain a digital learning plan as a pre-requisite to qualify for ICT infrastructure funding. AI implementation should align with this existing planning framework.

3. Policy

Rather than creating standalone AI policies, the Department has advised schools to integrate it into existing policies to address ethical, legal and operational considerations related to AI use. The planning process should include comprehensive review of existing ratified policies to identify potential overlaps, gaps, or conflicts.

4. Practice

This stage establishes expectations for day-to-day AI use within schools. The Department notes that AI deployment should optimise student learning whilst ensuring curriculum alignment and safeguarding student wellbeing. Current use cases of AI in Schools include:

1. Data driven insights.  AI tools can analyse student performance and highlight learning gaps, giving teachers quick actionable insights to guide targeted support with individual students; and
2. Adaptive and personalised learning that improves accessibility. AI platforms can tailor content and feedback to individual needs, improving accessibility. Tools like “Study Buddy” and “Play Lab” offer flexible and interactive learning experiences that support teachers in their day-to-day work.

Department Recommendations

Based on the regulatory framework and principles outlined above, the Department have advised schools to:

1. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current and proposed AI usage across all school activities.
2. Undertake a policy review to address AI-specific considerations, ensuring full GDPR compliance and data protection measures.
3. Establish a clear governance arrangement with designated responsibility for AI oversight and accountability.
4. Implement verification procedures ensuring all AI-generated content is reviewed by trained teachers/staff before use.
5. Provide professional development for all staff addressing ethical and legal implications of AI use in educational settings.
6. Engage meaningfully with parents and the wider school community regarding AI implementation to ensure transparency.
7. Monitor regulatory developments  which may be relevant to education.
8. Verify age restrictions and parental consent requirements for any AI tools students could have access to.
9. Keep a record of all AI usage to demonstrate compliance with guidelines and regulatory requirements.

Other resources supporting AI use in Schools

Outside of the Guidance, schools also have access to a broader set of supports provided through the Government platform, Oide Technology in Education (“Oide”). These include an “AI for Schools Course”, an “AI in Schools Hub” and “AI in Schools Perspectives”, offering practical resources, usage examples and professional learning opportunities. Oide also highlights key national and international guidance documents that inform responsible AI use in education. These include the “UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers”, the “UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Students”, the “EU Ethical Guidelines on the Use of AI & Data in Teaching and Learning for Educators (2022)”, “Ireland's Guidelines for the Responsible Use of AI in the Public Service (May 2025)”, and the EU Artificial Intelligence Act 2024 (“AI Act”). Together these resources can provide schools with a wider context for understanding and implementing AI effectively.

Conclusion

As the Guidance is considered by school leaders and teachers, it is also important to recognise the wider regulatory context shaping AI in education. Under the AI Act, some areas of educational AI tools fall within the ‘high-risk' category, such as access or admission to education, systems to evaluate learning outcomes, assessment of educational levels, and detection of students prohibited behaviour. General provisions will benefit children once implemented, such as the obligation to inform children when they are interacting with AI. The Recital, whilst acknowledges the growing importance of AI, highlights the need for strong protections, underscoring concerns around fairness, discrimination, and the impact of these tools on educational integrity. 

These considerations will not only apply to schools, but also to educational technology providers, who will need to ensure their products meet regulatory standards with increased demand for training and AI education tools .The Guidance represents an important first step in providing clarity and focus for schools embarking on their AI journey. Rather than letting individual schools navigate AI policy in isolation, this centralised framework provides much-needed direction on core issues including ethical considerations, data privacy and the role of the educator. The fundamental concepts are outlined in a clear and concise manner and characterise AI as a teaching aid rather than a replacement to teaching. Whilst it is positive that the Department has characterised this Guidance as a ‘living' document, with plans for regular revisions based on stakeholder feedback, the next iteration should ideally incorporate input from teachers and schools already using AI. 

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.