#286 – ‘Learn Fast, Act More Slowly’ to Leverage AI

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What’s in this episode?

We’ve all seen the headlines – AI is revolutionising everything from how students learn to how teachers teach. The promise of personalised learning paths, automated grading, and AI teaching assistants has created a gold rush mentality in education technology. But in our rush to adopt these powerful new tools, are we moving too fast? 

Today we’ll explore why when it comes to AI in education, we need to learn fast but act more slowly and thoughtfully. We’ll look at both the tremendous opportunities and serious risks that AI tools present for students and educators. We’ll examine where AI can truly add value in education versus where human teachers remain irreplaceable. And most importantly, we’ll discuss why comprehensive AI literacy and training is absolutely crucial – not just for educators, but for everyone involved in shaping young minds. Drawing on insights from leading experts on the frontlines of AI in education, we’ll provide a framework for thinking about how to implement AI tools responsibly and effectively. Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, policymaker or parent, this episode will give you practical guidance for navigating the AI revolution in education. 

Talking points and questions may include: 

• • Opportunities and risks of the tools:
    • Adaptive or personalised learning paths, automated marking and feedback, content generation, analytics and teaching assistants, but also inaccuracy and lack of transparency, data risks, biases, ethics and safeguarding, and like social media, the unintended lasting consequences 
  • Where AI is best placed:
    • Is it EdTech and tools in the classroom, the augmentation and elevation of human intelligence, or is it just learning about AI and what it can do and why (is knowledge=power enough?) 
  • Why it is so important that understanding and training are emphasised and why everyone needs to have such training
    • Without it there can be safeguarding disasters, skills training can be insufficient, many AI tool providers are offering free training to learn to use their tool but this is consumerised and inadequate and can be ethically questionable; do we want successive generations to only be producing AI tools that are exploitative and using our data and our IP without our consent, or do we want to help people with technology and for the partnership to be of most benefit to them? 

Guests:

• Rt. Hon the Lord Knight of Weymouth, Jim Knight
• Rob Robson, ASCL Trust Leadership Consultant

In the Studio:

• Rt. Hon the Lord Knight of Weymouth, Jim Knight

 

Lord Knight is a director of Suklaa Ltd, providing advice to clients in education. He is the chair of the board of E-Act Multi Academy Trust, of the Council of British International Schools, of Century Tech Ltd, and of EDUCATE Ventures Research Ltd; he sits on the advisory bodies for Nord Anglia Education, and the Pearson Qualifications Committee. As a government minister, Jim’s portfolios included rural affairs, schools, digital and employment. He was a member of Gordon Brown’s Cabinet, before joining the Lords in 2010. He regularly speaks in the Lords on education and technology policy. 

• Rob Robson, ASCL Trust Leadership Consultant

  

Rob is ASCL Trust Leadership Consultant. In his consultancy work, Rob specialises in leadership development, coaching, training, governance and improvement for both individual schools and for larger organisations such as trusts and local authorities. As well as consulting for ASCL, Rob trains on the NPQEL and NPQH and works for a number of educational and public service organisations, multi-academy trusts, schools and individual leaders. He has built his consultancy on over 30 years of experience in schools and education which has included teaching, middle leadership, 15 years as a headteacher, and six as an executive principal and founding CEO of one of the first MATs. 

Host

• Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design, UCL, Founder & CEO, Educate Ventures Research

 

Rose Luckin is an internationally respected academic, and influential communicator across multiple stakeholders about the future of education and technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI). With over 25 years of experience, she is a recognised expert on AI in education, serving as an advisor to policymakers, governments, and industry globally.

Professor Luckin is Emeritus at University College London and Founder and CEO of EDUCATE Ventures Research Limited (EVR), a company that provides training and consultancy to the education sector to help them leverage AI ethically and effectively.

Throughout her career, Rose has held key leadership roles in academia, including serving on the Director’s Strategy Group at the UCL Institute of Education from 2011-2015 and as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Science and Technology, and Co-founding Director of the Human Centred Technology research group at the University of Sussex from 2003-2006.

In recognition of her contributions, Rose was honoured as a Leading Woman in AI EDU at the ASU-GSV AIR Show in 2024, and received the 2023 ISTE Impact Award, becoming the first person outside North America to receive their top honour. She was also awarded the International Francqui Chair in 2018 by the Francqui Foundation in Belgium and named one of the 20 most influential people in education in the 2017 Seldon List.

A prolific author, Rose has published extensively in academic journals, books, and conference proceedings. Her 2018 book, “Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of Education for the 21st Century,” available in English and Mandarin, describes how AI can be effectively used to support teaching and learning. Her most recent book, “AI for School Teachers,” published in 2022, is an essential and accessible guide to AI for anyone involved in education.

As a highly sought-after speaker, Rose regularly delivers keynotes and public lectures across the globe on AI, ethics, and the future of education. She engages with the public through a monthly column in the Times Educational Supplement and op-eds in the Financial Times, Guardian, and China Daily. Rose has also appeared on various media outlets, including BBC Radio 4, ITV News, and CNBC. In addition to her academic and entrepreneurial roles, Rose serves as an advisor to Cambridge University Press and Assessment and is co-founder of the Institute for Ethical AI in Educat

 Rose Luckin is an internationally respected academic and influential communicator across multiple stakeholders about the future of education and technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI). With over 30 years of experience, she is a recognised expert on AI in education, serving as an advisor to policymakers, governments, and industry globally. 

Professor Emerita at University College London and Founder and CEO of Educate Ventures Research Limited (EVR), a company that provides thought leaderships, training and consultancy to the education sector to help them leverage AI ethically and effectively. 

Throughout her career, Rose has held key leadership roles in academia, including serving on the Director’s Strategy Group at the UCL Institute of Education from 2011-2015 and as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Sussex, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Science and Technology, and Co-Founding Director of the Human Centred Technology research group all at the University of Sussex. 

In recognition of her contributions, Rose was honoured with the Bett Outstanding Achievement Award in 2025, as a Leading Woman in AI EDU at the ASU-GSV AIR Show in 2024 and she received the 2023 ISTE Impact Award, becoming the first person outside North America to receive their top honour. She was also awarded the International Francqui Chair in 2018 by the Francqui Foundation in Belgium, named one of the 20 most influential people in education in the 2017 Seldon List and one of the 50 most influential women in UK tech by Computer Weekly in 2024 

A prolific author, Rose has published extensively in academic journals, books, and conference proceedings. Her 2018 book, “Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of Education for the 21st Century,” available in English and Mandarin, describes how AI can be effectively used to support teaching and learning. Her most recent book, “AI for Schoolteachers,” published in 2022, is an essential and accessible guide to AI for anyone involved in education. 

As a highly sought-after speaker, Rose regularly delivers keynotes and public lectures across the globe on AI, ethics, and the future of education. She engages with the public through a monthly column in the Times Educational Supplement and op-eds in the Financial Times, Guardian, and China Daily. Rose has also appeared on various media outlets, including BBC Radio 4, ITV News, and CNBC. 

In addition to her academic and entrepreneurial roles, Rose serves as an advisor to Cambridge University Press and Assessment and is co-founder of the Institute for Ethical AI in Education. She is also President of The Self-Managed Learning Centre in Brighton and sits on a range of advisory boards within the education and training sector. 

Rose holds a PhD in Cognitive and Computing Sciences and a First Class Bachelor’s degree in AI and Computer Science, both from the University of Sussex. Prior to her academic career, she achieved Associateship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. 

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