AI Knowledge Exchange with the University of Oxford's Dr Sara Ratner

In collaboration with the Forrest Research Foundation, Dr Sara Ratner's visit as our AI Distinguished Visiting Researcher ran from Monday 29 June to Friday 4 July 2026. Across the week, we brought together over 500 stakeholders, spanning sector leaders, teachers, school leaders, young people, researchers, and policymakers, to drive a strategic response to AI in education across WA.

Dr Ratner joined us to work directly with WA's education community, helping shape practical thinking on how AI is impacting schools, from the classroom right through to sector policy. The week included think tanks, roundtables, youth consultations and a hands-on training day for pre-service teachers.

Listen as Sara reflects on her interpretation of the week, highlighting the strong collaborations which were born as a result of the cross-sectoral approach of the events.

An internationally recognised leader in artificial intelligence in education, Dr Ratner spent the week immersed in WA's education sector, bridging global research with local practice. Sector leaders engaged strongly with a think tank held early in the week, while pre-service teachers from across the University sector attended a hands-on training day by Day of AI Australia to gain practical AI skills they could take straight back to the classroom. Provocations and consultations with the GenAI youth ambassadors proved to be one of the week's biggest highlights, reiterating the importance of youth advisory groups when discussing topics which directly impact and affect the next generation. Conversations with early adopter teachers surfaced important questions around age-appropriate use, measurement, and coordination across the sector, questions that will help shape the work ahead.

The week built on prior work by the Fogarty Foundation, including the 2025 State of AI in WA Schools Forum, and formed part of a broader effort to ensure Western Australia is strategically positioned for the future of AI in education, while supporting equitable access and evidence-informed innovation.

The insights gathered throughout the week are now shaping two key pieces of work: a policy recommendations paper with Dr Ratner, for release in August, and a Perth Dialogue publication with the Forrest Research Foundation, due in early September.

Thank you to all our partners on this project, we could not have hosted the week without you. Thank you to our collaborator Forrest Research Foundation and our event partners; Edith Cowan University and All Saints College.