The AI Crisis at UniHigh: What We’re Missing, What Other Countries Are Doing, and How It Impacts Our Future
By Olivera LEMPHERS
Editors note: An excellent small paper by one of the best up and coming writers in UHS, this article is important and will affect your life, so don’t miss reading it. -J
Introduction
On the 30th of November 2022, the world was rocked by the release of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. Though at the time of release, many did not fully understand the impact the language model would have, and certainly, few immediately considered the effect it would have on education. Yet, this is one of the areas where AI has disrupted the most.
I’m sure any UniHigh student can relate to either seeing someone use ChatGPT or using it themselves. Some might try to learn with it, using it to explain concepts or check their rubrics, often to escape the guilt of relying on the model. Others might simply copy and paste, assuming whatever they get is correct. Regardless of how it's used, both contrasting approaches ultimately fail the student. You might be wondering how that’s possible since they seem so different, but the truth is, until schools and educators start incorporating AI into Australian education, we’re falling behind.
Drastically falling behind.
Australia's Attempt
In response to the growing use of AI and the need for better understanding among teachers, the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools was released in December 2023. It provided guidelines on how to ethically and responsibly use AI in schools. The intention of the framework was to guide educators on teaching students how to use ChatGPT "ethically," and to be shared and taught to students. One would expect a framework like this to be packed with an encyclopedia of information and resources for teachers, right? Well, it’s actually only eight pages long. Yup, eight. So, after spending way too much of my precious time reading through it (and drinking enough Red Bull to kill an elephant), I finally finished. But here's the thing: this framework seriously lacks practical resources for actually implementing AI. Instead, it covers just six topics:
1. Teaching and Learning
2. Human and Social Well-being
3. Transparency
4. Fairness
5. Accountability
6. Privacy, Security, and safety
Now my issue with this which I'm sure many others had while reading this framework is what does this actually do? Sure it's a framework so it's to be used later but I mean I really am confused what this has done progressively, and well this framework has done virtually nothing but clarify what we already know to be true.
What has been done?
Although this was a disappointing and useless eight pages, some states have taken steps to implement AI into their education. Here's what I've found:
South Australia: They’ve developed ‘EdChat,’ basically a ChatGPT with more restrictions and better data security for students, intended to take some of the teaching load off educators. But, teachers have complained that the restrictions are too limiting and block important topics, making it difficult to use AI as an effective teaching tool. They also struggle to manage how students use the platform, meaning even this restricted version is riddled with mistakes. Still, it’s something, right?
Queensland: They’re piloting ‘Cerego,’ an AI model focused on tracking how well students are grasping material and how long they retain knowledge. Educators can select the goals they want each student to work towards.
Essentially, it's a fancy AI teacher that teachers can monitor, and I’m still left wondering, how does this actually help Australia get ahead and fully embrace the potential of AI?
Western Australia: In August 2024, the Australian and Western Australian governments launched a $4.7 million pilot program designed to incorporate AI into teaching. The goal is to reduce teacher workload by using AI to draft lesson plans, create activities, and organize routines.
Now, $4.7 million might sound like a lot, but we know the Australian government isn’t exactly known for its brilliant spending. When you compare it to the $2.7 billion facelift Brisbane is getting for the 2032 Olympics or the $6.4 million spent just on planning and reports well, it seems like a small change. So yeah, it's something, but not enough.
ACT: They just keep making policies and ‘frameworks’
Now with all of those out of the way I of course saved the best for last,
Victoria: Stopped blocking ChatGPT in schools.
What is the rest of the world doing?
India: India's 2024–25 budget allocated ₹255 crore (approximately USD $30 million and AUD $46 million) for the establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in AI education.
China: In December 2024 China's Ministry of Education decided to enhance the use of AI in education, the initiative included developing AI curriculum, incorporating AI into routine teaching, and providing students with hands-on experience with AI technologies. Pilot programs have been launched in 184 schools.
United Kingdom: The UK government has committed £118 million (AUD $211 million) to bolster AI skills, including funding for postgraduate research centers and scholarships. An additional £994,000 has been allocated to develop AI tools for education which aim to better assessment and feedback in schools.
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton): Launching in fall of 2025 Wharton will introduce its new MBA major and undergraduate concentration in AI, they teach fundamentals of big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI as well as how this can be employed to one's business.
MIT: The MIT Schwarzman College of Computing founded in 2020 aimed to focus on AI research, data science, and computer science; it received a $350 million donation from Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chairman, and CEO of the Blackstone group but has an overall funding commitment of $1.1 Billion (AUD $1.7 Billion) the college has research initiatives such as the Jameel clinic that cover applying AI to healthcare challenges, including disease detection and drug discovery.
What does this mean for you?
I know I’ve just thrown a lot of information your way, and you might be wondering when this all gets personal. Well, here it is. Everything I’ve shared with you isn’t just to rant, it's to help you understand what Australia has (or hasn’t) done. Now it all depends on your perspective as a student and how you feel about AI. Some might see it as the future, others may want nothing to do with it, and that’s totally okay. But here’s the hard truth: we’re on the edge of a new age, and whether we like it or not, AI is here and it’s not going anywhere.
Now, let’s talk about us, the students at UniHigh. I’m not saying all hope is lost, but I am saying we need to recognise the failure here. We’re being failed on multiple fronts but I could write another 200 articles on that. Right now, it’s about AI, and honestly, we’re being failed on that front. This failure comes from both our institution and the government, and I think it’s crucial that we, as students, acknowledge this first if we want any action to be taken.
Let’s say you’re a student who cares about your future. Maybe you’re the type who stays up late studying, working hard for your goals, dreaming of achieving great things, or aiming to build a career. Maybe you want to attend a top university abroad or work internationally in an innovative field. But here’s the thing: when you take a hard look at UniHigh and the education we’re receiving right now, do you feel prepared? Do you feel like you’re equipped to deal with the ever-changing demands of the future? If you were asked this five years ago (though you might’ve been eight, but ignore that), would you have thought about this? Probably, but not to this extent.
Here’s the reality: without access to AI tools, we’re already behind. While schools and universities overseas are using AI to enhance education e.g personalised learning, real-time feedback, and automating administrative tasks, Australia is still stuck in traditional learning methods. It worked for a while, but it’s not enough anymore. If we’re serious about competing globally, ignoring AI is a huge mistake.
And here’s where it gets tricky: if you dream of studying abroad or working in a global industry, you’ll quickly realize that those with more exposure to AI will have a significant advantage. Why? Because in Australia, AI is still treated like a buzzword. It hasn’t yet become a core part of industries like healthcare, finance, marketing, or engineering. If we’re not acquiring the necessary expertise and skills with AI at UniHigh, we’re at a disadvantage. We may not be using AI to its full potential, and our teachers might be missing out on how it can support us as students.
What should Australia do?
Integrating AI into education doesn’t have to be an all-at-once change and it won’t, it can start small and gradually expand. While I’m aware funding is a significant challenge, here’s what Australia could do if they provided the budget:
AI Tutors: While I'm aware many students already turn to ChatGPT as a surrogate tutor, imagine if the government created a dedicated high-quality AI tutor tailored specifically for Australian students. This could be truly revolutionary, especially in regional areas where access to personal tutoring is extremely limited. The AI could offer instant explanations, personalised help, and questions for students to practice with. AI should most importantly be used to make learning more accessible for everyone.
Tailored Learning: If teachers had the ability to easily see where students are struggling, it would take a huge mental load off them. Especially in larger public schools where teachers juggle 40+ students at once, it can be emotionally and mentally draining to support each student individually. With AI providing real-time data on what each student is struggling with, teachers could docs on providing targeted support, improving their productivity and effectiveness. It would also reduce the stress of having to keep track of each student.
Lesson Planning: I think it is a collective high school experience to have that one teacher who for two hours straight reads slides right off the powerpoint, it can be hard to fully understand and comprehend the subject. I know I would have rathered a lesson designed by a trained model at that point, if lessons were tailored to suit the needs of students and were able to be delivered in a clearer, more engaging way it could make learning more effective.
Career and College: For some students, career goals are clear from the start. But for others, navigating the complex process of applying to college and understanding ATAR requirements can be really frustrating. The Australian process is pretty insane and it can be tedious when you have to check each college's requirements. If schools used AI to quickly provide students with all the necessary information and paint a clear picture of the pathway and destination they aim for it would make a huge difference. A personalised AI tool that helps navigate options and avoid unnecessary confusion.
But also you can apply all of these yourself because as we’ve seen i can’t see this happening anytime soon.