Australia’s AI in Education moment: Fast adoption, slow policy, big questions. Series 16, Episode 12

In this episode, Dan and Ray explore how AI is rapidly reshaping education, workplaces, and policy - often faster than institutions can respond.

They unpack new guidance from NSW’s NESA on student AI use, highlighting the growing tension between rules, real-world behaviour, and the need for clearer, more consistent policies across education systems.

The conversation expands globally with insights from the 2026 Stanford AI Index Report, revealing that while over 80% of students are already using AI, formal education and policy frameworks are struggling to keep pace. The distinction between 'AI in education', 'AI literacy', and 'AI education' becomes critical for understanding what schools and universities could actually be building.

They also discuss emerging tools like Adobe Student Spaces, evolving AI workflows using tools like Claude and Copilot, and new data showing Australians are among the most advanced AI users globally.

Finally, they revisit “real AI” use cases - specifically wildlife (crocs, turtles and quokkas) detection in Australia - as a reminder that AI’s impact extends far beyond chatbots.

News items discussed

NSW NESA's "Use of Artificial Intelligence by students" rules
https://www.nsw.gov.au/educati....on-and-training/nesa

Adobe Student Spaces
https://acrobat.adobe.com/studentspaces/home 

The 2026 AI Index Report from Stanford University Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence (HAI) centre
https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-in....dex/2026-ai-index-re

Anthropic came Down Under
https://www.anthropic.com/rese....arch/how-australia-u
https://www.anthropic.com/news/australia-MOU 

AI crocodile detection trials begin in north Queensland
https://www.abc.net.au/news/20....26-03-26/ai-crocodil
Related stories from the past:
Scientists use drones, cloud, and AI to protect Australia’s Quokkas
https://news.microsoft.com/apa....c/features/preservin
Indigenous knowledge and AI help protect baby turtles from predators on Australia’s remote Cape York
https://news.microsoft.com/apa....c/features/indigenou
Strengthen your research workflow with generative AI
https://techcommunity.microsof....t.com/blog/skills-hu