Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Australian Curriculum

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaping the way students connect with the world and how they live, work and are entertained.  

AI systems and platforms have become widely adopted across many industries and embedded into the digital tools we use every day. AI is a key component in smart home devices and is used commonly in social media applications, financial services and in healthcare. AI is increasingly present in digital platforms as recommendation algorithms, virtual assistants, chatbots and content generation tools. 

AI in the Australian Curriculum 

Learning about AI by applying the Australian Curriculum to real-world contexts increases students’ awareness and provides opportunities to realise its potential and limitations. 

The three dimensions (learning areas, general capabilities, and cross-curriculum priorities) provide the essential learning necessary to understand what AI is, how it works and how it can be used responsibly. 

The Australian Curriculum AI content for Technologies and Mathematics provides knowledge, understanding and skills about AI core concepts.  

Students learn about the overarching core concepts in the Technologies curriculum relating to AI including Data, Computational thinking and Systems thinking. These flow through to subject-specific core concepts in the Digital Technologies subjects of digital systems, data representation, acquisition and interpretation, abstraction, algorithms, and privacy and security.  

In Mathematics, students learn about AI through Algebra, Measurement, Space, Statistics and Probability. 

The learning areas of Mathematics, Technologies and the subject Digital Technologies; the general capabilities of Digital Literacy, Ethical Understanding, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Numeracy; together with the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability to support students’ responsible use and application of AI. 

In summary, sequential learning through the 3 dimensions of the Australian Curriculum provides students with knowledge and skills to understand the components, construction and processes of AI, its diverse applications and how to leverage it for positive impact as users, solution designers and creators of AI. 

To learn more about AI in the Australian Curriculum view the Curriculum connection: AI.