EdChat: Pioneering Safe Generative AI in South Australian Classrooms with Azure AI Content Safety

Recognizing the need to adapt to rapid advancements in AI, the South Australia Department for Education wanted to embrace the transformative potential of generative AI technologies in the classroom. Before bringing generative AI to students and teachers they needed to address one critical question: How to do it responsibly?

Protecting students from potentially harmful or inappropriate content was a core concern for the South Australia Department for Education. In collaboration with Microsoft, the Department tackled these concerns by launching 'EdChat,' an educational chatbot with built-in safeguards. This initiative is part of a broader vision to help students prepare for an AI-driven future, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed. “We realized that if this tool is out there and if it’s going to transform the future workforce, the only question to ask ourselves is ‘how do we learn to use this safely and ethically to positively impact teaching and learning?’,” says Martin Westwell, Chief Executive, South Australia Department for Education.

Implementing Advanced Safeguards for an Education Chatbot

To ensure a safe experience with EdChat, the Department implemented Microsoft's Azure AI Content Safety, which employs advanced models to identify and mitigate harmful and risky content. This safeguarding measure was crucial for the successful deployment of EdChat in schools and underscored the Department's commitment to creating safe digital learning spaces. Azure AI Content Safety provided EdChat with built-in measures and controls to detect and block potentially harmful content from flowing through the AI system. The Department has full control over how EdChat is trained to detect, moderate and block potentially harmful content. “Most generative AI tools lack the safeguards needed for student interaction,” says Simon Chapman, Director of Digital Architecture, South Australia Department for Education.

The Department launched a pilot program to gauge the effectiveness of EdChat, involving approximately 1,500 students and 150 teachers from eight secondary schools over an initial eight-week trial period. This trial aimed to explore the chatbot's capabilities in assisting with research and enhancing educational experiences. School principals were given autonomy to decide the extent of EdChat's usage among students and teachers, tailoring the experience to their school's specific needs.

Following the completion of the trial, the Department has confidence that EdChat is safe and appropriate for student use. The freedom granted to students in how they utilized EdChat and the types of prompts they could initiate served as a practical evaluation of the effectiveness of EdChat's safeguards and content filtering capabilities. “We now know that EdChat was safe and appropriate for school use, and that gives us confidence to readjust some of those controls and settings for different cohorts, as we roll it out more widely,” says Daniel Hughes, Chief Information Officer, South Australia Department for Education.

Supporting Academic Growth with Generative AI

EdChat has enhanced student learning, serving as an educational chatbot for research, topic exploration, creativity, project refinement, and helping students to better understand complex subjects. During the trial phase, approximately 20 percent of students were actively using EdChat. This number increased significantly as both teachers and students became more familiar with the tool's potential to support critical and creative thinking. Also, the built-in safety features' ability to block inappropriate queries and filter harmful responses, allows teachers to focus more on the technology’s educational benefits than content oversight. “We wouldn’t have been able to proceed at this pace without having the content safety service in there from Day 1. It’s a must-have,” says Simon Chapman.

Rosie Heinicke, principal at Mitcham Girls High School—one of eight participating schools—remarked on the tool's effectiveness in making STEM fields more accessible and engaging for her students. EdChat fostered a judgment-free environment that encouraged students to ask questions and explore ideas freely, granting them control over their learning journey. The Department also highlighted the tool's 24/7 availability as a key asset, breaking down barriers to information access. This ensures that students' moments of curiosity are immediately satisfied, ultimately fostering deeper classroom discussions.

The Journey Ahead with EdChat

“We’re shaping an entirely new way of learning, so we need to understand how we can maximize the potential value of generative AI while minimizing the risks,” says Martin Westwell. The successful trial solidified the Department's confidence in EdChat's underlying architecture and the effectiveness of its safety measures. The South Australia Department for Education's full integration of EdChat, driven by a deep trust in its capabilities, heralds a broader embrace of AI tools as foundational components in educational environments.