Generation AI: Putting Young People at the Heart of AI Policy in Education

Generation AI is a Fogarty Foundation initiative focused on ensuring young people have a genuine voice in shaping the future of AI in education. But it goes further than simply asking young people for their views. Young people should be actively involved in designing the policies and solutions that directly affect them and will shape their futures, with their priorities, ideas and perspectives at the heart of decision-making from the beginning.

I have had the privilege of helping to deliver Generation AI throughout 2026. In April, we welcomed eight Youth Ambassadors aged 15-25, and they have been nothing short of impressive. They are articulate, thoughtful and full of ideas about what AI should look like in education, and have had no hesitation in sharing them.

During Dr Sara Ratner’s visit to Western Australia, the Youth Ambassadors participated in deep discussions about their priorities and the role young people should play in shaping AI policy. A highlight was the AI in Education roundtable where the Youth Ambassadors delivered a provocation to researchers, practitioners and policymakers outlining five themes that consistently emerge when young people talk about AI: jobs and the future of work; critical thinking and thinking for ourselves; data and privacy; the environment; and ethics and equity.

Across these events, there has been a consistent appetite to hear directly from the Youth Ambassadors. They have helped shaped this important conversation.

Their role has also extended beyond sharing their own views. The Youth Ambassadors have been co-facilitating peer research consultations with diverse groups of young people whose voices may not be as easily heard through traditional consultation processes. Because these conversations are peer-led, they have generated candid and nuanced insights into what young people actually think about AI, education and their futures.

Consultations have been conducted with Mandurah CoderDojo, Bob Hawke College and UWA’s Artificial Intelligence Club, with further consultations planned with Manea Senior College, Bunbury’s Youth Advisory Council and Youth Futures.

To hear from an even wider group of young people, the Youth Ambassadors also helped co-design a statewide youth survey for Western Australians aged 15-25. The survey provides another avenue for young people to share their experiences, concerns and ideas, and will be open until 30 August 2026.

Access the survey here

As part of Generation AI, the Youth Ambassadors have also participated in upskilling  workshops covering AI literacy, facilitation skills and peer research best practice, including an AI workshop delivered by the WA Data Science and Innovation Hub. They have also thought big about how Western Australia could become a leader in meaningful youth engagement around AI.

The insights from the consultations and survey will now be brought together in a Generation AI Youth Insights Paper, to be published in late September, capturing what young Western Australians are telling us about AI in education and what they believe should happen next.

A huge thank you to our eight Youth Ambassadors, Aedan, Alina, Thanos, Shree, Michelle, Aayushi, Colin and Elly, for the energy, ideas and thought they each have brought to Generation AI. Their contributions demonstrate why young people cannot simply be consulted at the end of the process. We will get the best results when young people have a meaningful role in shaping decisions from the start.

Paris McNeil
Facilitator, Generation AI