Are We Teaching Students to Think Ethically About AI?

Ethical thinking isn’t a bolt-on, it’s the backbone of digital learning.

Jun 10, 2025

This post is part of a series exploring how schools can integrate AI meaningfully, ethically and strategically. It offers insights and strategies for educators across all curricula and contexts — from Dubai to Dublin, Delhi to Durban and everywhere in between.

Subscribers receive exclusive access to planning tools, ethical discussion prompts and subject-linked scenarios to use with staff or students.

Why ethics cannot be an add-on

As AI tools become more common in classrooms, teaching students how to use them is no longer enough. We must also teach them how to think about them.

This applies across all phases, from primary to post-16, and in every subject. Ethics in AI is about values, decisions and awareness. And it starts now.

What students are already facing

Even without being taught explicitly, students are already making ethical decisions about AI. Consider these real examples:

A Year 10 student uses an AI bot to write part of an essay, edits it, and submits it without telling anyone.
“I knew it was wrong, but it didn’t feel like cheating, more like using a calculator,” they explained in a class discussion.
A primary student copies an AI-generated drawing for an art project and says it is their own work.
A Sixth Form student shares an AI-written summary of a novel with friends who haven’t read it.
A Year 8 student asks ChatGPT for answers to a science homework task and doesn’t check if they’re correct.

These aren’t just issues of cheating or misuse. They are opportunities to build digital integrity and they open the door to critical classroom conversations.

One question for every subject:

Who benefits, and who loses when AI is used this way?

Whether you’re exploring bias in algorithms in science, authenticity in art, or decision-making in geography, this single anchor question helps frame discussion through a values-based lens.

Five practical ways to teach AI ethics (in any subject)

You don’t need to be an expert to start. These five strategies work in tutor time, PSHE, project-based learning, or regular classroom teaching, at both primary and secondary level:

Use real-world prompts
Show students an AI-generated image or article. Ask: Who made this? Who benefits? Who might be left out? Let students explore both fairness and intent.
Explore the “why” before the “how”
Before using an AI tool, pause and ask: Why are we using this? What problem does it solve? Students learn that AI isn’t a shortcut; it’s a choice.
Compare AI with human judgment
For example, in science, ask an AI to explain a process (like osmosis), then have students critique it. What’s accurate? What’s missing? What would a teacher or student add?
Teach authorship and attribution
Help students see when work is theirs and when it’s AI-assisted. Use music, design, essays, or even memes to explore ownership and creative responsibility.
Create shared norms, not just rules
Co-create values around AI use. For example: “We are honest about how we use tools.” This empowers students to take responsibility without fear of punishment.

What schools are already doing

One school created cross-phase “AI Dilemmas” discussion cards, where students across Years 4–11 explored realistic classroom situations and debated responses.

Another international school held a student-led debate: “AI should never be used in exams.” Students discussed fairness, access, equity and trust, all key to ethical development.

A STEM-focused setting used design tech lessons to explore AI’s impact on environmental design, asking: Can AI design sustainably, or does it optimise only for efficiency?

These aren’t token lessons, they’re integrated, relevant and student-led. Student councils in several schools have also been invited to shape school-wide AI charters, building leadership and shared ownership of ethical use.

Teaching ethics is not about being perfect

Ethical teaching doesn’t require a philosophy degree. It requires curiosity, listening and modelling. What matters most is creating space for students to reflect on why they use technology, not just how.

That can happen in assemblies, tutor time, or informal discussions just as powerfully as in planned lessons. But we must also stay alert to unintended consequences: over-monitoring, restrictive policies or surveillance can harm student trust, even when intentions are good.

Next steps for school leaders

Audit your current approach: Where do students encounter ethical questions and where are the gaps?
Use student leadership groups or councils: Give students a say in shaping your AI charter or acceptable use guidance.
Support staff confidence: Run CPD that offers simple tools and discussion starters, rather than abstract theory.
Align with wider digital standards: Explore how ISTE, UNESCO and digital citizenship models guide responsible practice.
Model values in your policies: Ensure AI-related policies reflect a balance of integrity, curiosity and inclusion.

Use this in your school this week:

Add a five-minute discussion starter to form time or homeroom.
Run a values-based discussion in PSHE, English or Design Technology.
Share this post with colleagues and invite them to pick one strategy to try.

Subscribers can download classroom-ready dilemma cards, staff CPD slides and an ethics audit tool.

Useful Links

UNESCO – Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research
A clear global framework that outlines how AI should be integrated ethically in education. Includes policy guidance, curriculum implications and human-centred principles.
Read the guidance
Brookings – Achieving Equity and Respecting Student Rights in AI Education
An expert panel discussion covering how to embed AI while safeguarding equity and student rights. Particularly useful for leaders and pastoral teams.
Read the summary

Reflective questions for your setting

Are students in your school taught how to use AI, but not how to think about it?
Do staff feel confident guiding ethical dialogue?
Where in your curriculum or culture could this thinking take root?

AI in Education Blog Series – Full List

This 4-week blog series explores how schools can embed AI meaningfully, ethically, and strategically. It blends leadership thinking, pedagogy, inclusion, and subject practice. New posts are published four times a week through June and July 2025.