Leaders are responsible for ensuring that the use of AI does “not have a detrimental effect” on their school’s outcomes, decisions or quality of provision, Ofsted has said today.
In a document published today setting out its approach to the use of artificial intelligence, the watchdog said that it expects school leaders to monitor the use of AI in their education settings.
Ofsted also said it will not “directly inspect the quality of AI tools”, but will instead review the application of AI affecting “areas of provision and outcomes such as safeguarding and the quality of education”.
It also plans to explore how AI can help the inspectorate to make better decisions based on the information it holds and to work more efficiently, Ofsted added.
Empower staff to overrule AI
Schools should ensure staff are “empowered to correct and overrule AI suggestions”, Ofsted said, so decisions are “made by the user of AI, not the technology”.
The government has previously called for funding to research the development of AI content detectors to support educators as the technology becomes more sophisticated.
When judging schools’ use of AI, the watchdog expects leaders to:
- Assure themselves that tools are secure and safe for users and protect users’ data.
- Be transparent about their use of AI.
- Understand the suggestions AI makes.
- Ensure staff have clear roles and responsibilities concerning the monitoring, evaluation, maintenance and use of AI.
- Respond appropriately to concerns and complaints where AI “may have caused error resulting in adverse consequences or unfair treatment”.
In terms of its own operational work, the inspectorate said it has identified the following three key areas where AI could have the biggest benefits for its work:
- Assessing risk.
- “Working more efficiently through automation”.
- “Making the best use of our data (particularly text) to generate new insights”.
The watchdog already uses an AI algorithm to predict which schools are “less than good”.
Ofsted is seeking to ‘better understand’ the use of AI
In its paper today, Ofsted warned the effect that new technologies are having on the lives of students is still “poorly understood”, and said it will seek to “better understand the use of AI by providers and the emerging research on its impact on the outcomes and experiences of learners”.
The inspectorate has announced that it will “develop” inspectors’ knowledge about AI to ensure they have the “knowledge and skills to consider AI and its different uses”.
However, Ofsted added that it is “vital that AI does not undermine either our inspectors’ judgements or our ability to respond flexibly and empathetically to the concerns of the public or providers”.
