By Rebecca Thomas
Teacher: Hey Bee, good to see you. I’m looking forward to our staff meeting on AI.
Me: Why? What do you need help with?
Teacher: There are just so many apps—I really want to know which one is the best for me to use…
This is about where most teachers and staffrooms are at with their familiarity with AI.
The ways we can use AI to be more efficient with time aren’t a bad start. But the speed at which AI is developing is unlike previous technologies that changed society dramatically. The printing press, once operated by children in dark, chimney-lined brick buildings and ‘satanic mills,’ took about 400 years to evolve into automated machines capable of printing, pressing, and binding newspapers and magazines at speed daily. Even the transition from the wizardry of the internet and landlines to the convenience of mobile phones took 50 years.
And now teachers are expected to keep up with AI ??
Three years ago, we were waiting in anticipation for the 6 p.m. news report from Jacinda and the health minister to give us advice and daily updates from the Beehive to keep us safe. No doubt, ChatGPT would have changed the speed of lockdowns, news, health advice, and vaccines had we all had access to it then.
Task #1 True or False AI Achievements
After sorting the AI true-or-false cards into two simple categories, we decided a Carroll Diagram might have been a better approach—to account for True, False, Scary, and Helpful spaces we felt the cards belonged to.
Some of these cards were wishful thinking—and aren’t we so lucky to have access to this?
But most came with foreboding, a jarring lump in our throats at the disbelief that this is where the human race is heading. Disbelief that a computer can manipulate humans. Uncertainty that Mātauranga Māori is being fed into machines that might take without understanding the tikanga that comes with the taonga of this wisdom—dotted with the willingness to acknowledge that AI is also helping to revive language and preserve a culture—but at what expense?
It was during these discussions that we began opening our minds and hearts to the reality that AI isn’t just an app for efficiency and support, it began to feel like more than a tool. The realisation that it has the potential to change the very fabric of human nature and society became ever so real in the room.
Task #2 Solving Real Educational Problems with AI
It turned out, by accident, that the problem-and-solution activity was an excellent social experiment.
We shared three problems with each group, giving them the choice to work on all three or just one that sparked their interest. It was a long Tuesday, but in just 30 minutes, their understanding had grown significantly.
To my curiosity, someone put their head in their hands and admitted it was challenging to think of solutions. With an air of playfulness, I suggested that maybe ChatGPT could help.
Three out of the four groups grabbed their devices and began using the app like a critical friend. They smiled, wrote frantically, and worked through all three problems.
One group remained steadfast. They had already expressed concerns about Māori content being absorbed into AI systems and how their Mātauranga Māori might be handed over to ‘the machine’—a taonga lost forever, beyond their control. They refused to consult AI for solutions to their academic problems.
I watched, intrigued.
As I observed, it dawned on me how quickly adults turn to AI to aid their thinking. I asked one teacher why she chose to ask ChatGPT. She explained that brainstorming solutions required immense cognitive effort, and it was exhausting. This way, she could read through AI-generated suggestions, critically analyse which philosophies and ideas aligned with her own, and extract useful information to help formulate solutions.
Naturally, a robust discussion followed about how this is the critical AI literacy skill we want from our learners.
Another deep conversation unfolded at a table discussing plagiarism. “Does it require a shift in mindset? Does it mean we need to change what we measure?” One teacher pointed out that hands-on tasks like EdPro 8, which require communication and construction, can’t be outsourced to AI. Practical, manual activities will become even more important in the future.
Finally, there was a sigh of relief from the principal, grateful that the children they serve are still receiving Māori experiences and learning styles from their teachers who value skills beyond the Westernised ways of measuring, assessing, and grading students. This means that the necessary mindset shift in this area might not be so daunting—especially in a Māori worldview, where knowledge has always been deeply connected to experience, relationships, and the environment rather than rigid technical precision.
After I revealed that the problem-solving task had become a social experiment—and that 85% of the room had turned to AI for help—we laughed and reflected on it.
How quickly AI has already infiltrated our lives and habits. Imagine what it will be like for our students when this is their norm. Already, kids can’t believe we used to send letters and postcards, visit libraries, and use atlases. How will this new AI generation moving up the education system react to the idea of spelling tests, redrafting handwritten documents, and composing music with real instruments?
We ended with an ethical discussion, realising three vital things:
The Elon Musks, Zuckerbergs and Google teams in silicon valley have been left unregulated from the start. They now hold incomprehensible power and knowledge beyond the grasp of those in parliamentary and presidential seats who make the rules and social contracts we abide by. Pandora’s cruise ship has sailed.
By 2026, we anticipate that 80–90% of visual content online will be AI-generated. What will this do to our children’s worldview and their perception of reality or their body image?
It is already too late to ensure AI is trained on non-discriminatory and unbiased datasets.
To conclude, we realised that teachers need urgent conversations with each other and with their students to grasp what AI means for humans and human nature—let alone our agency and perceptions.
Don’t delay—start unpacking it with your staff today. Two days in the world of AI adaptation is like centuries in the Industrial Revolution.
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