With the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), teachers have been thrust into a new and ever-shifting classroom reality. The public, including many students, now has widespread access to GenAI tools and large language models (LLMs). Students sometimes use these tools with schoolwork. School boards have taken different approaches to regulating or integrating tech in classrooms. Teachers, meanwhile, find themselves responding to these paradigm shifts while juggling student needs and wider expectations AI raises.

There are many questions about the purpose of education, including questions around academic integrity and how education can uphold fairness and equity. Questions include: How can students successfully navigate the use of these tools safely, effectively and ethically? How can schools prepare students for the future as organizations and institutions scramble to determine how to respond to or integrate aspects of AI? Will harnessing AI’s potential impact critical thinking and other cognitive skills? Teachers are uniquely positioned to help guide students as they grapple with the existential and social implications of AI alongside practical concerns for their own and students’ futures. Teachers cannot face this complex challenge alone — they need support and to feel skilled and empowered to fulfil this important role.

There’s a growing international consensus echoed by calls to action that teachers are essential players as learners develop AI literacy. Despite growing resources, the development of AI technology continues to outpace implementation support and essential training for teachers. This widening gap between teacher competencies and the demands of an AI-infused classroom is unsustainable. This is not merely about keeping pace with technology; it’s about equipping teachers to guide the next generation in a world transformed by AI. By empowering teachers with skills and confidence in AI use, they can continue to guide students and shape students’ critical and responsible engagement with this technology.

Teachers cannot do this alone. Successfully integrating AI into education requires a concerted and collaborative effort from all stakeholders within the educational ecosystem. Together, these partners can help establish clear, strategic mandates for AI integration and dedicate robust funding for essential tools and comprehensive training and research to foster innovative spaces where educators and researchers can experiment and study practices. Research is needed to assess the broader effects of AI use, for example, on critical thinking and cognitive offloading, to evaluate and understand the impacts of this technology in education. Supports are needed to ensure that AI adoption is not haphazard, but strategic and equitable across all jurisdictions.

Implementation should also consider teacher burnout and the existing responsibilities that teachers carry. What can be removed, and what robust supports can be provided so teachers can take this on without compromising their wellbeing or effectiveness? It’s time for policymakers to recognize that investing in teachers is one of the most powerful ways we can invest in our students and in a better future for all of us.