The Scottish government has published new guidance for schools on the “safe and ethical” use of AI by teachers and students.

The guidance aims to provide schools with support in instituting safe, ethical, and fair methods for implementing AI in teaching, providing fitting case studies as well as subjects teachers and faculty should be mindful of when dealing with AI.

The framework was products in coordination with the EIS teaching union, local government, Education Scotland, and others.

“AI is increasingly part of all our lives, and we have a responsibility to ensure children, young people, and teachers are equipped to grasp its opportunities and navigate its challenges,” education secretary Jenny Gilruth said.

“It is important that human relationships remain at the heart of education, and I am absolutely clear that technology will never replace the role of the teacher. This guidance makes clear that AI must enhance, not replace, those connections.

“For pupils, that means using AI as a tool to support creativity, critical thinking and personalised learning, while protecting their rights and privacy. For teachers, it means having the confidence, professional autonomy and practical support to decide when and how AI adds value in their classroom.”

The guardrails created in the new guidance relies on the premise that education in Scotland is and must always be, a human enterprise, and that AI must not diminish human-centered education.

The new framework has five core principles for AI in education:

1. AI use must ensure the safety and privacy of children and young people and staff by prioritising children’s rights, teacher judgement, ethical standards, and data protection.

2. The use of AI must be underpinned by equity and fairness.

3. AI must support the aims of the Curriculum.

4. AI must foster human connection and inclusivity.

5. AI must support teachers.

The guidance does provide some reference to potential risks of AI, including data security, privacy, children’s rights, pupil development, and human interactions.

However, the guidance does not provide solutions to these problems, but says that evidence is building in certain research subjects, and teaches, parents, and faculty should be mindful of these issues.

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“AI is a tool for teachers; it must never be a replacement for them or their professional judgement. The human relationship between teacher and children and young people is at the heart of learning in our schools. No tool, no tech, no algorithm can replace that,” EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said.

“We’ve co-created these guardrails to ensure that where teachers choose to use AI in schools, it is ethical, equitable, and – above all – safe.”

The guide is non-statutory for Scottish schools and local authorities, and instead is meant to reflect the ever-changing transformation of AI and its effect on teaching, as well as the necessary adaptations of schools and teachers driven by technological advacements.