Nine To Noon New programme to teach students about AI
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Mar 12, 2026 Susana Tomaz, teacher and director of Futures and AI Strategy at Westlake Girls High School, leads a national Day of AI initiative to build student and teacher AI literacy. She discusses how students already use AI widely, differences between classroom and out-of-class use, ethical risks like AI companions, and a free curriculum aimed at responsible, human-centered AI learning.
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Young Students Are Already Deeply Using AI
- Many New Zealand students are already using AI widely despite limited national data.
- NZCR found 50%+ Year 5–8 students experimenting and international surveys show 87% of 15–16 year olds use AI, revealing rapid youth uptake.
National AI Strategy Left Education Out
- New Zealand's national AI strategy omitted education, leaving a major policy gap.
- Susana warns this omission risks an unguided future workforce learning ethics from social media rather than schools.
Pilot Found 92% Student Use And No Trained Teachers
- Day of AI pilot showed high classroom exposure with little teacher training.
- In nine pilot schools 92% of students used AI and no teacher had received AI capability training, exposing a skills gap.