HP Education Ambassador Mr Brett Salakas explores how educators can navigate the AI gold rush, avoid opportunists, and identify trustworthy voices shaping the future of learning.
Step into any staffroom or scroll through your social media feed and you will see a new wave of self-appointed AI experts appearing almost daily. Some are well-intentioned but inexperienced. Others are opportunists chasing speaking fees, consultancy gigs, and attention. They are quick to add “AI” into their bios and offer miracle solutions to problems that cannot be solved overnight. For schools and teachers trying to navigate this rapidly changing landscape, the danger is not just in being overwhelmed by the volume of voices but in placing trust in the wrong ones. Education has been here before with shiny technologies that promised transformation but delivered disappointment. This time the stakes are higher because the tools are more powerful, the ethical concerns more pressing, and the consequences for children’s learning and wellbeing far more profound.
In the midst of the noise, it is worth identifying who we can genuinely trust. In Australia, two figures stand out above the rest. Professor Genevieve Bell is a cultural anthropologist and technologist whose career has consistently sat at the intersection of people, ethics, and technology. After years at Intel shaping the future of computing, she now leads the School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University. Bell’s strength is her ability to frame technology in human terms. She does not chase hype or exaggerate potential; instead she draws on cultural history and rigorous research to ask the right questions. What do we want technology to do for us? What do we want to preserve about humanity as we move forward? These are questions that matter deeply in education.
Alongside her stands Professor Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at UNSW Sydney and a leading researcher with global credibility. Walsh is not afraid to call out exaggerated claims about AI, nor does he downplay its risks. His writing and speaking consistently stress the importance of evidence, accountability, and careful governance. He was one of the earliest voices warning about the dangers of autonomous weapons and has long argued that AI must serve society rather than dominate it. For educators, this combination of technical depth and social conscience is invaluable. When Walsh or Bell speak about AI, they do so with decades of expertise and a genuine commitment to the public good.
But following trusted individuals is not enough. We also need to anchor ourselves in the right documents and frameworks that can guide national and local decision-making. Among the flood of papers, reports, and corporate whitepapers, three stand out as essential reading for educators who want to cut through the noise and make thoughtful choices.
The first is the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools. This document sets the benchmark for responsible adoption. It recognises both the potential and the risks of AI, emphasising principles of safety, equity, and responsibility. It urges schools and systems to avoid rushing headlong into implementation without clear guardrails. The framework provides a roadmap that ensures students are protected, teachers are supported, and communities are reassured. Importantly, it positions AI not as a quick fix or a replacement for human teaching, but as a tool that can be integrated thoughtfully into existing practices. For school leaders, it is a foundation stone that must not be ignored.
The second key document is known as Study Buddy or Influencer, a federal government initiative that deserves more attention than it has received. While it might sound like just another resource, Study Buddy or Influencer contains a critical insight: the warning that Australia cannot afford to let each education jurisdiction or sector go its own way when it comes to AI. Fragmentation risks leaving students with unequal access and creating an uneven patchwork of experiences. Study Buddy calls instead for a coordinated national approach. This is about more than efficiency; it is about equity. If one state charges ahead with AI tools while another lags behind, the digital divide will widen. If some schools have robust safeguards and others do not, children will be placed at risk. Study Buddy reminds us that the opportunity is national in scale and that by working together we can ensure AI supports all young Australians, not just a privileged few.
The third document is of a very different character. Antiqua et Nova is one of the few pieces of research in the AI and education space that is not shaped by corporate interests. Too often reports about AI in classrooms are published by companies with a vested interest in promoting their own products. The result is research that reads like marketing. Antiqua et Nova stands apart because it is driven by a deep humanist concern rather than by sales targets. It is about how we preserve individuality, protect children, and sustain the unique human dimensions of learning. It asks difficult questions about what is lost if we outsource too much of education to machines. It speaks to the importance of childhood, creativity, and the irreplaceable role of teachers. In a field often dominated by techno-optimism, Antiqua et Nova brings balance and conscience.
Taken together, these three documents form a kind of compass. The Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools provides a north star of policy and safety. Study Buddy warns against fragmentation and points us towards collective action for equity. Antiqua et Nova reminds us of the deep human values we must hold onto no matter how powerful the technology becomes. If educators ground themselves in these texts, they are far less likely to be swept away by the noise of self-proclaimed experts.
This is not to say schools should become paralysed by caution. There is real potential for AI to reduce workloads, to personalise aspects of learning, and to help teachers focus on what matters most. But the path forward requires wisdom and discernment. It requires filtering out the grifters who speak with confidence but without depth. It requires listening to scholars who have spent their lives building credibility and whose loyalty lies with people rather than profit. Above all, it requires remembering that education is about children, not markets.
The challenge for every teacher, principal, and policymaker is to slow down just enough to ask the right questions. Who is telling us this? Why are they saying it? What evidence backs it up? Who benefits if we adopt this idea? If the answers circle back to profit rather than people, caution is warranted. If the answers are rooted in research, humanity, and a vision of equity, then we can move forward with greater confidence.
The rise of AI in education will not be a short-lived trend. It is a structural shift that will shape classrooms, assessment, pedagogy, and curriculum for decades to come. That makes discernment more urgent than ever. This is not the time to be dazzled by influencers or to follow the loudest voice in the room. It is the time to stand on the shoulders of those who have proven themselves trustworthy and to anchor ourselves in documents that put children and teachers first.
So beware the grifters. Beware the sudden experts who appear overnight with big claims and little substance. Instead, listen to those who have earned our trust over decades of careful work. Trust the guidance of Genevieve Bell and Toby Walsh. Trust the documents that have been crafted with care, collaboration, and conscience. The future of education is too important to leave in the hands of opportunists. It belongs to those who lead with wisdom, integrity, and humanity.
About the author
Mr Brett Salakas, HP Education Ambassador, is a global keynote speaker, best-selling author of A Mammoth Lesson: Teaching in the Digital Age, and founder of #aussieED. A leading voice on LinkedIn in K-12 Education, Mr Salakas was named Australia’s Most Influential Educator (2024) and recognised globally as one of education’s top 100 leaders.
