As the government consults on how schools can 鈥済et the best鈥 out of artificial intelligence, Amy Walker delves into why the revolution hasn鈥檛 taken off in classrooms 鈥 just yet Harris Federation, one of the country鈥檚 largest academy trusts, is training staff in how to use large language models, including ChatGPT and Bing Chat. 鈥淲e鈥檙e telling staff members how to use it to inspire them,鈥 said Jonathan O鈥橠onnell, the trust鈥檚 lead IT consultant. 鈥淚t鈥檚 up to them to implement it within their curriculums and practices. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at ways in which we can support staff with their workloads so they can really concentrate on teaching and learning.鈥 A government report in March shows nearly one in five teachers work at least 60 hours a week 鈥 and most spend less than half of that teaching. One of the ways Harris staff are using ChatGPT is to rewrite text for pupils to make it more accessible for different age groups. Microsoft Live is also being used to translate classes for pupils with English as an additional language, including Ukrainian pupils. Teachers speak into a microphone and pupils can pick up subtitles in their chosen language on their devices. Tools shaving ‘hours’ off workloads… The picture is similar at Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), another of England鈥檚 largest trusts, which says it has been exploring AI use 鈥渇or some time鈥. It will provide schools with access to generative AI options in tools such as , which allows users to generate presentations from text prompts 鈥渋n seconds鈥, and Google Classroom, which uses AI to provide pupils with real-time feedback. In March, Joel Kenyon, a science teacher at Dormers Wells High School in Liverpool, told the Commons science and technology committee that he uses ChatGPT to produce good and bad examples of answers. He also creates specific tasks with AI while lesson planning. 鈥淚f you wanted to generate five key stage 3 questions on atoms, you could do that really quickly.鈥 Kenyon told Schools Week. The process has shaved 鈥渉ours鈥 of his workload. Real Fast Reports, which describes itself as the leading AI school report writer, boasts around 5,000 teachers in England among its users.聽 About 50 schools have signed up for its school package trial this term, the company says. …But most teachers still haven鈥檛 used AI While some schools are ploughing ahead with AI advances, figures collected by Teacher Tapp on behalf of education publisher Oriel Square, show just 17 per cent of teachers in April had used AI tools to help with school work. Another 62 per cent had never used the technology. Separate data collected from 500 secondary teachers by RM Technology, suggests that for most of the sector, it is a hindrance rather than a help. More than half (56 per cent) told RM that they felt education professionals needed proper training, with nearly a quarter believing it added additional pressure on teachers because of its use by pupils. One private school said it was likely to scrap homework essays because of the potential for cheating. But over a third of respondents felt the sector was not moving fast enough to adapt to it. Lucas Moffitt, a former design and technology teacher, has recently set up 鈥減edagogy infused鈥 AI platform Teachology.ai. It aims to help teachers build lesson plans that can pull in educational videos and scientific journals from the web. 鈥淚f I could do that when I was teaching, I鈥檇 probably still be a teacher,鈥 says Moffitt, who estimates the technology could save teachers 鈥渂etween four and eight hours鈥 a week. But the UK is currently its 鈥渟lowest market鈥, with 1,300 current users. 鈥淚f teachers aren鈥檛 able to find a way to harmonise with AI and include the benefits of what they鈥檙e doing, they鈥檙e absolutely going to fall behind.鈥 It鈥檚 not just about reducing workload AI is also being used to enhance lessons too. Nino Trentinella, the head of art and photography at Sutton Grammar School in Surrey, won the Pearson National Teaching Award for digital innovator of the year this week. It came in part for her integration of AI into the curriculum, including to help children learn art history by using platforms such as Scribble Diffusion and NightCafe Creator to create artwork in the style of famous artists, or to brainstorm ideas for physical artwork by generating AI paintings first. 鈥淚 think it has a lot of potential, and we don鈥檛 even know what most of that potential is. But I think by the time they have finished school, this will have evolved millions of times. They really need to be ready and already thinking about how to use it,鈥 Trentinella said. Harris鈥檚 O鈥橠onnell has also used it to create songs and poems about 鈥渓ess captivating鈥 topics. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring pupils to explore topics鈥hat might have been a bit dry before.鈥 What might the future hold? John Roberts, Oak National Academy鈥檚 director of product and engineering, thinks the adoption of AI will grow with more specialist applications. 鈥淲e鈥檒l definitely start to see that embedded for solutions and products that support workflow, for example.鈥 When Oak starts publishing its new teaching resources on an open government licence this autumn, edtech and publishing companies using AI models will be able to adapt and use them for free. The government鈥檚 flagship national teacher training initiative, the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) is trying to work out how it could use the technology within professional development. Callum Davey, its executive director research and best practice, says it is considering the use of AI to listen to trainee teachers’ presentations to check whether language and tone is 鈥渁ppropriate鈥 for age groups. What should we be worried about? But Daisy Christodoulou, the director of education at assessment firm No More Marking, warns that conversations with heads and teachers makes her 鈥渨orried that there鈥檚 quite a lot of misconceptions鈥 about how large language models work. In particular, the extent to which it is capable of making mistakes, which Christodoulou calls its frequent 鈥渉allucinations鈥. A recent experience with ChatGPT, used to build No More Marking鈥檚 , has led it from a 鈥減osition of huge optimism to relative scepticism鈥. The site was intended to provide marking and leave feedback for in-year assessment, but made 鈥渂ig mistakes鈥 and was 鈥渋nconsistent鈥 in results. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been really clear with users that we don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 fit for purpose in terms of assigning a grade,鈥 she says. 鈥淲ith anything it does produce, you have to spend a lot of time scrutinising it.鈥 Roberts warns that given potential inaccuracies in the content produced, there are 鈥渙bviously risks associated鈥 where it is used in a class taught by a non-specialist. 鈥淲e want to make sure that highly-trained, specialist teachers are able to make sure the output is accurate,鈥 he says. DfE looking for ‘safe’ way to use AI in education However, Morgan Dee, director of AI and data science at EDUCATE Ventures, says that potential inaccuracies and biases within AI-generated content are already in other information tools. 鈥淲hen you use the internet or you鈥檙e reading a newspaper article, you should be thinking about all these things as well.鈥 Concerns have been raised about sharing personal information of pupils with such technology, including by the Information Commissioner鈥檚 Office, given unclear guarantees from tech companies about how information is protected. OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, Google and Microsoft, which runs Bing Chat, were contacted for comment. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, said in March that teachers鈥 day-to-day work could be 鈥渢ransformed鈥 by AI, but it鈥檚 not yet at the standard needed. Launching a last week, she said responses would help the Department for Education 鈥渕ake the right decisions to get the best out of generative AI in a safe and secure way鈥. The DfE has previously advised schools they 鈥渕ay wish鈥 to review homework policies and that sensitive data should not be entered into AI tools.