Sometimes it is hard to believe ChatGPT was launched just three years ago, the first introduction for many to the vast capabilities of artificial intelligence. Remember those early tentative prompts, and the gob-smacking feeling as ChatGPT spoke back to us in such a human, if slightly cliched, way?!
Since then, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become firmly embedded in our lives, and also in our classrooms. Students have harnessed the technology in their everyday learning, while educators, too, have seen benefits in how they plan and deliver lessons.
What the Australian Youth Digital Index reveals about AI in learning
The Australian Youth Digital Index reflects this technology uptake.
Four in five young people aged 8 to 25 are now using AI, including 90% of those aged 14 and over. In our qualitative research they were enthusiastic about a range of benefits: it was easier to find information compared with search engines, the speed and efficiency freed up time to use on other tasks or activities, and AI was also boosting job prospects with more professional looking CVs and assistance on interview preparation.
Learning support was also a key use case – whether for summarising textbook content, explaining maths steps, or generating sample essays, AI is seen by today’s young people as a supplemental “teacher” that can help them understand material quickly and more clearly.
Rapid adoption and self‑taught skills among teens
Young people have made strong progress on how they use AI since we produced our pilot Australian Youth Digital Index a year ago – the proportion who found it “easy” to use AI to help with everyday tasks (such as their work or studies) has risen from 46% to 56%. When we zero in on children aged 14 and over this figure rises to 66%, while 71% of this group say they have taught themselves to use AI.
Becca Duane, Executive Manager at Quantium Telstra (a Telstra joint venture focused on data analytics), has deep expertise in the adoption of technology in educational settings. She says it is exciting to see the way both students and educators are using AI in their schooling.
“Our research shows that when students are given access to AI tools, they adopt them rapidly and intuitively,” Becca says. “And they don’t confine their use to school hours – young people are using AI inside school hours and outside school hours, encouraging a continuity between formal and self-directed learning.”
She says the research found students were harnessing AI no matter where they lived, suggesting that AI could help close long-standing educational divides between regional and metropolitan areas, provided the technology is accessible to all.
Bridging regional–metro divides with accessible AI
That “accessibility” is a critical hinge point, highlighted in our report. Students need access to a learning device (laptop or computer) and a quality internet connection, or they risk falling behind. Initiatives like the National Device Bank and the School Students Broadband Initiative, supported by Telstra Foundation, alongside community access points and targeted supports for low-income families are helping narrow the digital inclusion gap for young people.
The capability gap: confidence, training and system support
But Becca warns there are signs of another divide. “The biggest risk may lie in educator capability. Early data shows variation in how teachers, especially between city and regional contexts, adopt and integrate AI into learning routines, and this reflects their confidence and understanding of AI.”
Training, scaffolding and system-level support will be essential to ensure equity across postcodes, she says. “If educators lack the capability to design AI-enabled learning safely and effectively, students will experience uneven opportunities, no matter how motivated they are,” she says.
One of the most encouraging findings from Becca’s research is the creativity already emerging in real classrooms. Educators are beginning to develop innovative AI-enabled approaches – for example, using AI to support students with language difficulties – saving hours of preparation time and lifting the quality of personalised support.
“People are naturally embedding AI into the system,” Becca concludes. “The question is not about adoption, but how we detect these emerging behaviours and share them across the system so everyone can benefit.”
The Australian Youth Digital Index shows:
- 79% of young Australians say their school provides them with training to use technology in everyday life.
- Self-directed learning is strong: 59% say they have taught themselves how to use AI, and 48% say they have been taught AI skills.
- Young people also report increasing confidence in core digital tasks, including searching for information, navigating job-related online resources, and editing photos and videos.
- 79% of young people say digital skills are essential for their future career (up from 75% in 2024), and 59% would like a job that uses advanced digital skills
