St. Anne's News
Beyond the Chatbot: A Community Conversation About AI
Artificial intelligence is changing quickly. For schools, however, the most important question may not be what AI can do, but what we want it to do for learning.
That question was at the heart of a full day of conversations at St. Andrew’s College and St. Anne’s School with education and AI strategist, Eric Hudson. Moving from the Yuill Andrean Room with the Board of Governors and Leadership Teams to a session with employees and, finally, an evening presentation for parents, Eric challenged members of both school communities to consider how AI is changing learning, teaching, parenting, and the work of schools.
The day began with Eric’s session, Beyond the Chatbot, Beyond Efficiency, which explored developments in AI and education, the Board’s role in AI governance, and the opportunities and risks emerging for schools. Rather than focusing on individual tools, Hudson encouraged leaders to consider a larger question: What is our position on AI?
The discussion explored everything from data protection, student safety, and equity to policy, professional learning, and institutional priorities. At its core was the idea that decisions about AI should be anchored in a school’s mission and approached first as questions about learning.
That focus continued during an afternoon interactive session with employees from both schools. Educators representing a range of grades and subject areas explored how AI could be intentionally incorporated into teaching and assessment.
One model distinguished between “Lane 1” learning, in which students work under traditional, supervised conditions to demonstrate individual mastery, and “Lane 2,” in which students can use AI to research, iterate, create, and design.
The discussion raised important questions: How can AI augment rather than replace student learning? How might it allow students to tackle more ambitious projects? And when do students still need to struggle, practice, think, create, and solve problems on their own?
That idea of productive struggle carried into Eric’s evening presentation for parents, Talking with Our Students About AI.
One of his simplest messages captured the distinction: “School is a gym, not a job.” In the workplace, using technology to accomplish tasks more quickly may be the goal. Learning is different. Like exercising a muscle, developing knowledge and skills requires effort. AI can support that process, but removing every challenge can also remove the learning.
For parents, Eric emphasized conversation over fear. Young people are already encountering and using AI, and they need adults who are willing to ask questions, listen, and help them think critically about its possibilities and limitations. His presentation highlighted the importance of curious, non-judgmental conversations between young people and adults.
By the end of the day, governors, school leaders, educators, and parents had approached AI from different perspectives, but a common theme emerged. Preparing students for an AI world is not simply about teaching them how to use new tools. It is about helping them develop knowledge, judgment, curiosity, and confidence to understand when to use AI, when to question it, and when the thinking needs to remain their own.
Empowering girls to be courageous learners and compassionate citizens who live and lead with wisdom.
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