Report shows need for policy around AI use in primary schools
A new report shows an urgent need for policy around the use of AI in primary schools. Report author David Coblentz spoke to Charlotte Cook.
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RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Government should match enthusiasm for AI with investment in teachers
[xh Teachers using AI to mark student work 'dangerous' - principals' group Auckland Secondary Principals Association and member of the AI Forum, Claire Amos. Photo: Supplied The Auckland Secondary Principals Association warns the government needs to match its enthusiasm for artificial intelligence with training and funding for teachers. It said suggestions teachers could use AI to mark most student work were "dangerous". Earlier this week, the government said AI marking was critical for its planned replacement of the NCEA and the Education Ministry told schools they "must have a policy" on acceptable use of generative AI such as ChatGPT. On Tuesday Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Qualifications Authority used AI for marking NCEA literacy and numeracy corequisite exams and would use it more widely by the time the Certificate of Education replaced NCEA level 2 in 2029. She said New Zealand was a world-leader and she expected teachers would use the technology to reduce their workloads as the replacement for NCEA was introduced. "If we didn't have AI, this is something that probably wouldn't be possible without a massive injection for NZQA. "But we do have AI, it is coming, and it is getting better and better every year, we are already world-leading in the way that we use it." The same day, the Education Ministry sent schools updated advice on AI . It said schools that offered NCEA must have a policy on the acceptable use of generative AI. "Schools with consent to assess listed standards are required to have an authenticity policy to support assessment practice. This policy must include the acceptable use of GenAI," it said. "The principle of authenticity means that students are required to demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding, and skills in NCEA assessment events. Any evidence submitted for assessment must be their own work." Auckland Secondary Principals Association and member of the AI Forum, Claire Amos, said it was confusing for educators that the ministry was urging caution over AI, but the minster said it would be crucial for replacing NCEA. Amos said the ministry's guidance was very high-level and fell well short of the centralised training, advice and resources that teachers needed. "There's no point having words on a page if we're not upskilling school leaders and we're not upskilling teachers to navigate their way through both the opportunities that AI offers and the great benefits that AI can offer but also understanding the risks," she said. Amos said other countries were much more advanced than New Zealand in terms of school use of AI. Estonia, for example, was investing in teacher training and in AI platforms specifically for schools so student privacy was protected, she said. Amos said AI should not replace classroom teachers when it came to marking student work. "There's huge risks if we start thinking AI is the answer to assessing all student work," she said. "We should be using the technologies and tools to support teachers to make good judgements, we could be using AI in the moderation process and addressing those concerns people have around internal assessment in schools but we are walking a dangerous line if we think we are going to mark all of our student work using AI. That is hugely disempowering for students, hugely disempowering for teachers as well." Amos said the rising use of AI could exacerbate the digital divide between rich and poor schools and between those that were advanced technology users and those that were not. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Techday NZ
5 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Quest Software unveils new executives & USD $350m investment
Quest Software has appointed a new executive team to support its expansion priorities in AI readiness, cybersecurity, and platform modernisation. Key executive hires The company has announced the appointments of Ashish Joshi as President and Chief Financial Officer, Maureen Perrelli as Chief Channel Officer, and John Bertero as Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. These leadership positions have been filled in response to increased demand for artificial intelligence, secure identity management, and updated data platforms in the enterprise sector. Ashish Joshi will oversee Finance, Legal, and Compliance. Joshi previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Redwood Software and has a background in scaling software-as-a-service enterprises. Maureen Perrelli brings experience from her prior roles at Oracle, GE, Secureworks, NCR, and Brivo, and will now lead Quest Software's global channel strategy. She is responsible for developing the company's partner ecosystem to address the requirements of businesses seeking AI enablement. John Bertero, who has a track record of managing high-performing sales teams, assumes responsibility for all global sales operations with a focus on customer-centric solutions. Investment and strategy These appointments follow a capital investment of USD $350 million intended to accelerate product development around embedded AI capabilities and readiness technologies. This investment supports Quest Software's plans to help enterprises unlock greater value from AI while strengthening its partner network, which focuses on strategic alliances across data, identity, and Microsoft environments, including Active Directory and Entra ID. Tim Page, Chief Executive Officer of Quest Software, commented on the expanded leadership group, stating: "I couldn't be more excited to work with such a high-powered executive team. This team is a competitive advantage and positions Quest to deliver what customers expect - faster decisions, clearer priorities, and market-leading solutions that work out of the box. That means stronger accountability, smarter execution, and a tighter connection between what we build and what our customers need." According to the company, the shifting landscape in enterprise technology is increasing the importance of scalable platform modernisation and trusted providers who can partner with organisations to govern data, secure access, and expand operational capabilities as AI adoption rises. Company direction With the reported uplift in demand for secure and modernised IT infrastructure, Quest Software has indicated that its focus remains on operational excellence, customer value, and readiness to help businesses transition to AI-enabled environments. Tim Page further stated: "This is about execution, accountability, and delivering at scale. With the right team in place and a differentiated platform, we're ready to lead our customers into the future - faster, more securely, and with confidence." Quest Software currently serves more than 45,000 companies worldwide, including over 90% of the Fortune 500, providing solutions related to data management, governance, cybersecurity, and platform modernisation.
Techday NZ
15 hours ago
- Techday NZ
F5 & Equinix expand partnership for secure global AI workloads
F5 and Equinix have expanded their partnership to provide organisations with enhanced capabilities for deploying and securing AI workloads and modern applications across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The collaboration brings together the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) and Equinix's Network Edge and Equinix Fabric, combining digital infrastructure delivery and security services to meet the increasing demands posed by the mainstream adoption of AI within enterprise IT environments. Addressing new infrastructure challenges Organisations navigating the transition to AI and advanced applications often face limitations with legacy infrastructure, such as increased security risks, compliance requirements, and operational costs. The strengthened partnership is positioned to address these concerns by enabling customers to deploy, scale, and secure digital resources globally without the challenges typically associated with physical hardware management. A key aspect of the expanded integration is the availability of F5 Distributed Cloud Customer Edge as a virtual network function (VNF) on Equinix Network Edge. This development allows for swift provisioning of F5's application delivery and security services, leveraging Equinix's global infrastructure and private interconnection options for a wide range of cloud providers. According to F5, the offering is particularly suited for environments demanding low latency and high performance, such as those for AI inference and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), while ensuring compliance with data sovereignty and privacy regulations. Industry perspectives "AI is putting massive new demands on infrastructure, especially at the edge, where latency, security, and control are critical," said John Maddison, Chief Product and Corporate Marketing Officer at F5. "Enterprises need faster, more secure ways to deploy and connect applications and AI workloads globally - without the complexity of managing physical infrastructure. Our expanded partnership with Equinix gives customers exactly that: a flexible, high-performance foundation to support AI-driven use cases and deliver exceptional digital experiences across any environment." Through the virtualised nature of the joint solution, enterprises can avoid long lead times and capital investments required by traditional infrastructure deployments, with instant availability of application security and connectivity services in new geographic markets. Maryam Zand, Vice President of Partnerships and Ecosystem Development at Equinix, drew attention to the pace of AI adoption and the associated risks. She said, "Organisations are racing to adopt AI, but legacy infrastructure can slow them down or expose them to unnecessary risk. By partnering with F5, we're giving our customers a seamless way to scale their AI applications and modern distributed workloads with built-in security, compliance, and performance. This solution can help businesses innovate faster, safeguard their operations, and maintain a competitive edge." Customer and partner benefits F5 and Equinix have outlined a number of benefits that their joint customers can expect. These include support for secure, high-speed connections for distributed AI workloads, the ability to deploy application services in new markets through virtual functions instead of physical hardware, and increased agility to react to changing demands. In addition, unified management tools allow security policies to be centrally enforced across multiple regions, assisting customers with regulatory compliance and streamlining operational efficiency. Customers of Equinix can now deploy F5's application delivery and security services directly using the Equinix Network Edge interface. Meanwhile, F5 customers gain simplified access to Equinix's global network and low-latency private connections to major cloud platforms. The companies emphasise that existing purchasing models can be used to access the new integrated solution, which could facilitate adoption among current clients. The companies have also highlighted new opportunities for F5 Unity+ partners, who can now deliver secure and scalable solutions for customers operating in complex hybrid environments, without the need to manage physical infrastructure themselves.
