As AI reshapes education, experts warn of a growing digital divide and call for urgent policies to ensure equitable access and responsible integration of AI tools in classrooms. Parliamentarians were briefed on the need for a balanced approach—leveraging AI’s benefits while safeguarding against its risks.
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Members of Parliament and Peers have been urged to consider the significant policy implications of AI use in education as part of this year's Evidence Week at Westminster. Evidence Week is a unique annual event that brings together the public, parliamentarians, and researchers from across the UK to discuss how evidence from frontline research can inform policymaking in Parliament. Taylor & Francis' policy briefing asked, 'The future of AI in Education: should we control or collaborate with the technology?'
Pericles 'Asher' Rospigliosi, a lecturer in emerging technology at Westminster Business School, and Taylor & Francis staff presented parliamentarians with best-practice examples of AI's application in education and highlighted some of its challenges.
Controlled use of large language models in the classroom can help students develop skills in asking questions and reviewing answers, which will be essential for using AI tools in the workplace. However, an important priority for policymakers is ensuring that the inconsistent use of AI in schools does not reinforce inequalities or create a new digital divide among students. Policy for AI education needs to provide a framework and training for using AI productively and safely to enhance the learning experience for students.
"AI is already being used extensively in learning and teaching, much of the emphasis is on concerns about assessment rather than developing students' capacity as prompt engineers, learning to ask the right questions is key," said Asher Rospigliosi, co-editor of Interactive Learning Environments. "For faculty there is pressure to increase productivity. There is enormous potential, but for both learners, teachers, and policymakers a critical and reflective perspective is needed to resist the technological determinism of big tech."
Rospigliosi added, "Governments have a vital role to play in this. Policy and regulation are urgently needed to ensure AI's safe, ethical development and application in education. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to discuss some of these issues with parliamentarians during Evidence Week, and I look forward to continuing these conversations in the months ahead."
Visitors to the Taylor & Francis Evidence Week pod included Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation; Lord Clement-Jones, co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence; Dr Rupa Huq MP; Liz Twist MP; Lizzi Collinge MP; and Iqbal Mohamed MP.
Evidence Week, now in its seventh year, is run by the campaigning charity Sense about Science and the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) in partnership with the House of Commons Library, House of Lords Library, Ipsos, the Office for Statistics Regulation, and research institutions from across the UK. During the week, MPs meet with leading scientists to get the latest insights on pressing issues, including Artificial Intelligence, education, pollution, health, and rurality.
Tracey Brown, Director of Sense about Science, said: "From the use of Artificial Intelligence in schools to the impact of light pollution in marine habitats, the quality of research and evidence used and presented affects whether policies and laws make sense. We are delighted that MPs have the opportunity to hear and learn directly from leading researchers across the UK about making better use of research evidence at Evidence Week in Parliament. Keeping up to date with the latest evidence and research findings is important for MPs, who have to pass laws, check up on government, and understand the issues that are affecting their constituents."