Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education whether any recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of teaching in schools on recognising Artificial Intelligence technologies on social media.
Minister of Education: My Department is currently consulting on the draft Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028, which provides clarity on the content to be taught across all subjects and stages.
The draft curriculum proposes Digital Technology as a core area of learning, helping pupils to recognise and critically evaluate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and content encountered on social media. Pupils will develop an understanding of how AI generates content, how prompts influence outputs, and how AI can be used to create realistic text, images, audio and video capable of influencing beliefs and behaviour. They will also examine the impact of AI and social media on society and personal privacy.
This learning is reinforced through ‘Personal, Social, Citizenship and Careers’ (PSCC), where pupils evaluate information and misinformation, consider how information can be used to persuade or mislead, and explore ethical issues relating to AI and digital information. In addition, the Capabilities Framework develops pupils’ ability to weigh evidence, evaluate arguments, identify assumptions and recognise flawed or misleading claims, supporting informed and responsible judgement in a complex digital environment.
These proposals represent a significant strengthening of the current curriculum.
My Department, together with the Education Authority, continues to monitor developments in AI and educational technology and will consider any implications for schools and curriculum provision as appropriate.
ENDS
Your MLA 