About Responsible AI
Learn how we created an RAI standard and evaluation program specifically designed for Australian schools.
What is RAI?
Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAI) is a set of ethical principles that guide the design, development and deployment of AI systems to ensure that they are fair, transparent, accountable and align to human values, to benefit both individuals and society.
Why evaluate?
AI products and services pose new and emerging risks for students, teachers and the school community beyond the known cybersecurity risks addressed by the ST4S framework. These risks include concerns such as bias, harmful or misleading outputs, loss of autonomy and lack of transparency.
Concern from the education community resulted in the Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools, a proactive national response to the rapidly growing AI technologies. The Framework was designed to guide schools and school authorities in setting safeguards to manage AI challenges in schools.
Generative AI and AI systems are becoming commonplace in digital technologies affecting the way we work, feel and engage. What’s more, AI systems continue to become more and more complex, developing at a rapid pace.
National and international efforts to respond to AI risk have largely been reactive, with no precedent to rely on. Standards, guidelines and guardrails continue to evolve to meet this concern, as AI is increasingly embedded into digital experiences. Education technologies are no exception.
The task
In 2024, the Education Ministers commissioned ESA to:
- investigate the risks posed by AI systems in Australian schools
- develop a RAI standard aligned to the ST4S framework
- design an RAI evaluation program to encourage suppliers to minimise RAI risks.
Benefits for suppliers
- Demonstrates alignment with RAI expectations, alongside ST4S compliance.
- Supports procurement and adoption of AI-enabled educational technologies (EdTech) in schools, encouraging safe and continuous improvement.
- Strengthens supplier credibility and signals proactive cooperation within the education landscape.
Benefits for schools
- Provide assurance to the school community that AI-enabled digital technologies have been evaluated as minimising RAI risks as far as possible.
- Represent a coordinated national response sponsored by the Federal and State Education departments, Independent and Catholic school sectors.
- Build trust in digital technologies used in Australian schools.