All NSW public school students from year 5 upwards will gain access to a new state-built generative AI platform from next term as the Minns government expands its classroom technology trial into a system-wide rollout.
The curriculum-aligned platform, which uses a blend of large language models (LLMs), is designed to help students build AI literacy in a safe and secure environment, with content filtering and data protection in place.
According to the government, unlike commercial AI products, NSWEduChat does not provide direct answers but instead prompts students with guided questions, encouraging independent learning, critical thinking and problem-solving.
A trial of NSWEduChat over the past year showed students used the tool mainly for feedback on writing, brainstorming, exam preparation and consolidating lessons into quizzes.
Principals involved in the pilot strongly backed its expansion, while students reported better understanding of their work and improved writing skills.
A separate version for teachers has already been rolled out, saving time on lesson planning and resource development.
Acting education minister Courtney Houssos said the expansion “[levels] the playing field” by giving all students free access to the technology.
“Generative AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday life, and through NSWEduChat we are helping our students to safely and responsibly build the digital literacy that will set them up for success in the jobs of the future,” she said.
The deployment comes as policymakers step up scrutiny of AI in schools.
Alongside the student platform, the Department of Education will launch Lesson Library, a central repository of resources written by NSW teachers to support the delivery of new knowledge-rich syllabuses.
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