How Australia’s AI ChatGPT Tool is Reshaping Education
Australian curriculum | AI Model | AI Chatbot
Let’s face it: Artificial Intelligence has become a significant part of everyday life, even for Australian school students. Is NSWEduChat Australia’s New ChatGPT Ai Tool for Students? Every day, AI is being used to write essays, generate new ideas, and take out the hassle that comes with intensive research at the click of a single button. But is this healthy for Australia’s students? If an AI can do all the work for them, why should a student put in the effort to learn?
The NSW Department of Education has launched NSWEduChat. This generative AI assistant helps students and teachers work more efficiently while maintaining safety and security. The department promotes it as a cost-effective AI tool trained on the new Australian curriculum. It is designed to assist students with their learning rather than complete the work for them.
In this blog, we explain exactly what NSWEduChat is, who can use this brand-new technology, the many risks it presents, and whether students should even use artificial intelligence in the first place. Want to read more helpful learning tips? Check out our JDN Tuition Blog Page!
What is NSWEduChat?
NSWEduChat is New South Wales’ very own purpose-built and school-friendly generative AI tutor designed specifically for the classroom. Unlike other AI applications, it doesn’t use a third-party AI model like ChatGPT or Gemini; instead, it’s entirely Australian-made and keeps all student and teacher data in-house, as opposed to an overseas data farm.
Since the beginning of Term 1 2024, the Department of Education has been trialing their ChatGPT alternative for students with staff and students from Years 5 to 12 in over 16 schools, increasing this amount to 50 schools in Term 2 as they gathered feedback. After teachers reported major efficiency gains and strong engagement, the Department introduced a ‘staff’ version of NSWEduChat. It was offered to all teachers across the state who wished to try it. As of 2025, the Department has not yet released NSWEduChat to students. However, it plans a full rollout in Term 4, 2025.
But why does this matter? Put simply, the Department of Education directly controls what NSWEduChat says, how it is trained, and how students use it. NSWEduChat is not a generic chatbot. It aligns with the NSW curriculum, is curriculum-aware, and adheres to school-appropriate guidelines. This design guides students through thinking steps, models good answers, and offers positive feedback, rather than completing homework for them. The Department deliberately chose this guided approach during the trials and plans to keep it for the full release.
Why was NSWEduChat Made?
So why make NSWEduChat? Well, as a part of the Department’s Future Frontiers initiative, Australia is always looking to get ahead of its international peers in the education space, with generative AI being its newest point of interest. However, when trying to see how AI in education could be best implemented in the classroom, they realised that handing the keys to a third party could be dangerous, with data breaches, high costs, and uncontrolled student usage all significant risks.
So how did they ensure nothing could go wrong with the future of AI? The Department of Education decided to create its own AI for teachers and students. This tool supports learning rather than copying and pasting. In NSW, artificial intelligence offers overworked teachers a way to reduce their workload. It helps with administrative tasks and lesson preparation, allowing teachers to focus more on their students while maintaining social wellbeing.
Beyond this, there’s also a learning reason. In a world where GenAI is becoming more popular, today’s youth need to learn how to use AI skills responsibly in a controlled environment. A school-owned system allows exactly that. It makes it easier to teach students how to craft useful prompts and become more AI literate, while keeping privacy and a positive learning environment front and centre.
How Does NSWEduChat Work?
NSWEduChat runs similarly to ChatGPT, with a simple question and answer format, with the exception of no data ever leaving NSW, ensuring privacy and an ethical use of AI while still improving learning.
NSWEduChat runs in the Department’s cloud environment in Sydney and offers separate modes for staff and students. Teachers receive technical support when drafting lessons, creating resources, and reducing admin time. Students, on the other hand, enjoy a guided and curriculum-linked chat experience that focuses on hints, scaffolding, and reflection instead of full answers. Of course, the system also includes strict safety filters and limits to protect children. Every conversation remains educational, secure, and age-appropriate.
Who Can Use NSWEduChat?
As of Term 3, 2025, NSWEduChat isn’t available to the entire student body. It is only available to the 50 schools selected for the Term 2, 2024 trial. Since Term 4, 2024, teachers have had access to the tool and have spent the past year refining their AI engineering methods to prepare it for regular classroom use.
When it finally releases in Term 4, 2025, the Department of Education has set some limits on who can access it. The Department plans to roll out NSWEduChat to all students in Years 5–12 who attend public schools in NSW. Access will also extend to members of each school’s teaching staff, including administrators such as principals and wellbeing advisors.
But don’t let your child hop onto the AI train just yet. The Department of Education provides the tools for safe AI learning, but each school decides when and how students can use NSWEduChat. Schools also control content filtering to match their own policies. In some cases, this might mean requiring students to declare when AI has been used for homework or assessments. In others, schools may completely ban AI for academic content. Ultimately, the final decision rests with the school.
Additionally, the Department of Education has not explicitly stated this. However, it will likely restrict student access to NSWEduChat after graduation. This policy would also end access to other benefits the Department provides, such as Adobe and Canva. Only enrolled students can use these services.
How to Access NSWEduChat
In good news, students don’t have to log into a school computer every time they need help with their homework. Students can simply log in through the NSW student portal or directly go to NSWEduChat, enter their student credentials, and use it to their heart’s content. This means students can use NSWEduChat wherever they are—at home, at school, or even overseas. As long as they have a device and internet access, they can log in and use the platform whenever they want.
Should Students use NSWEduChat?
The short answer is yes; students should always try new things. But like any tool that promises to make school life easier, it works best when you keep your brain switched on. NSWEduChat can be a brilliant study coach for planning essays or preparing with HSC exam past papers. However, during these assessments, you won’t always be able to use such tools. Learning how to effectively utilize artificial intelligence in education is a crucial step for students and teachers who want to maximize their learning outcomes.
For example, students who use NSWEduChat to study for their HSC subjects and revise for exams can save valuable time. They no longer need to crawl endlessly through study notes. However, NSWEduChat will never be a full replacement for real learning. While NSWEduChat is an excellent AI education tool, students must still make the effort to revise their work carefully. They also need to double-check anything completed through AI-assisted learning, or they risk failing their exams.
What are the Risks of Using NSWEduChat?
While NSWEduChat is a huge step forward for learning, it does come with a plethora of risks that even the Department of Education acknowledges. Digital safety for students is a massive problem, and while the Department does try to mitigate or remove problems entirely, it’s still important that students learn the impacts of generative AI before jumping headfirst into it.
However, if students don’t know how to properly use AI, they risk falling behind their peers. One of the best ways to prevent this is to combine artificial intelligence with human feedback. This approach ensures your child always stays on the right path. JDN Tuition follows this method by blending AI expertise with real-world teaching knowledge. Together, these elements help students make the most of this new frontier in education. With JDN Tuition’s High School Tutoring, students learn how to make the most out of AI, while still excelling at the top of their class.
Below are some of the most common risks students and teachers may face when using NSWEduChat.
1. Limited Accuracy and Hallucinations
While NSWEduChat is designed to be as factual as possible, even the best AI for writing will sometimes produce plausible-sounding nonsense, often called hallucinations. That means from time to time, students may receive convincing, made-up or wrongly explained answers that can end up harming their academic integrity.
While the Department of Education will do its best to stop AI hallucinations, it ultimately leaves the burden on teachers and students to fact-check any answers they receive before submitting any tasks.
2. Overreliance and Skill Erosion
One of the biggest concerns with the rise of AI is the loss of skills, as overreliance on AI prevents students from practising certain tasks until they become unnecessary. This growing dependence on AI can be harmful. The NSW Department of Education currently covers the cost, making access easy and appealing. However, graduates who rely too heavily on AI companions may face a harsh reality when navigating the world on their own.
The Department doesn’t plan to let this happen; learning skills remain a key part of a child’s education even when using NSWEduChat. This is because their AI doesn’t work like most chatbots, fulfilling the exact orders of their user. In contrast, NSWEduChat decides which questions to answer and how to answer them. It does not produce full essays at the push of a button. Instead, it asks open-ended questions that prompt students to think critically. When combined with traditional education, the Department predicts NSWEduChat to be a boon, not a loss.
Without someone to help, AI can completely destroy a child’s ability to learn. JDN Tuition prevents this by employing AI-savvy tutors who ensure no student falls behind in the rapidly evolving education landscape. To see how JDN Tuition balances human learning with AI assistance, visit our Google Business Profile today. Discover how JDN Tuition can support your child’s AI learning needs.
3. Privacy and Data Concerns
With the Online Safety Amendment and under 16 social media ban coming to Australia, many students and parents are asking if their data will be kept safe, especially as data breaches become more prevalent, spilling personal information everywhere. So why trust NSWEduChat, especially as it deals with the information of minors?
The Department of Education hosts NSWEduChat in its secure, curriculum-aligned cloud system and emphasises privacy and safe use. As opposed to public chatbots like Claude or ChatGPT, this means no dodgy data collection methods or moving abroad, as all information stays in Australia and the Department’s control, making it relatively safe.
Conclusion: NSWEduChat Australia’s New Digital Learning Companion
NSWEduChat serves as a helpful AI study companion that assists students in their learning. But it’s still a tool, not a teacher. The best results come from pairing the chatbot’s guided hints with real human feedback. Why tutoring is important? This balance helps students keep their hard-won skills instead of trading them for convenience. Use NSWEduChat to sharpen questions, draft outlines, and test yourself. Then bring that work to a tutor or teacher for personalised guidance.
If you want the best of both worlds, JDN Tuition can help. Through our online tutoring in Australia, we teach your child how to use NSWEduChat effectively. This guidance helps them get ahead during the school year and approach exams with confidence. Our subject specialist tutors work one-on-one with your child, providing personalised lessons that genuinely make a difference.
Don’t leave your child behind in the new frontier of education. Contact us today and learn how students can maximise their learning with NSWEduChat and private high school tutoring.
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Is NSWEduChat safe for students?
The Department of Education designed NSWEduChat to be much safer than public internet chatbots that use GPT-4. NSWEduChat runs inside only the Department of Education’s systems, and uses curriculum-aligned guardrails and age-appropriate filters to ensure safety. This means that no data ever leaves Australia, and only the Department can access it.
Who can access NSWEduChat?
From Term 4, 2025, students in Years 5–12 at NSW public schools can access NSWEduChat through their student portal. Teachers and school staff have had access to NSWEduChat since Term 4, 2024.
Will teachers be able to see what I ask NSWEduChat?
Yes. The Department of Education assesses all uses of NSWEduChat to ensure they meet their safety requirements for a school environment. System administrators or the school may keep concerning messages for compliance and access them whenever required for safety.
Can I use NSWEduChat outside of school?
Yes, students can use NSWEduChat outside school if they’re in Years 5–12, attend a NSW public school, and know their login details. Students can access NSWEduChat anywhere they have a device and an internet connection.
What makes NSWEduChat different from ChatGPT?
NSWEduChat has a few differences from ChatGPT. As the Department of Education’s secure AI service, NSWEduChat operates only in Australia. This ensures that no student data ever leaves the country or the Department’s control. NSWEduChat focuses on learning, using AI trained on NSW curriculum data. It assists students by asking open-ended questions that encourage growth, rather than printing full answers like ChatGPT.
What subjects does NSWEduChat help with?
NSWEduChat helps students in Years 5–12 with any NSW syllabus subject, including mathematics, English, history, and science.