Australian and New Zealand Students Receive Free, Curriculum-Aligned AI Literacy Through Tailored Local Programs

Day of AI Australia and Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand today announced the launch of free, country-specific AI literacy programs tailored to local curriculum and classroom contexts. These innovative programs give teachers across both countries access to high-quality resources that help students understand, question, and use artificial intelligence responsibly.

From 9 March on, teachers across Australia and New Zealand will be able to deliver curriculum-aligned, classroom-ready lessons designed to demystify AI through interactive activities, educational games, and guided classroom discussion. Students will explore how AI systems work, where they are used in real life, and the opportunities and limitations of the technology, with a particularly strong focus on ethics, safety, and critical thinking.

The launch comes as AI use among students continues to rise rapidly, while understanding and guidance have not kept pace.

• In Australia, 84% of young people aged 15 to 24 have used generative AI, yet only 27% say they have an “excellent” or “very good” understanding of it (per Year13, 2025).
• 69% of Australian high school students say they want more training on using AI responsibly and effectively (Elevate Education, 2025).
• In New Zealand, the Day of AI pilot found that while 92% of students were already using AI, few understood how it works.
• After the pilot, understanding increased from 20% to 64%.”

Day of AI Australia: 2026 marks its most comprehensive program yet

For Day of AI Australia, 2026 is its most engaging and comprehensive program yet, building on four years of national delivery. Since launching in 2022, Day of AI Australia has reached more than 340,000 students nationwide, with a strong focus on reaching students in government schools, those in regional areas, First Nations students, and girls. A core part of its impact model is the Classroom Champions program, which places trained STEM ambassadors in classrooms across the country to help deliver the program.

The 2026 Australian program includes:

• New expert-developed educational games, including Inky’s Great Experiment, which explores the ethics of AI, and Pyramid Puzzle, which helps students understand how machines “learn” and “understand.”
• Classroom incursions for government, regional, and lower-ICSEA schools.
• A Student Challenge in which students design AI-powered solutions aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, running across Terms 1-3 and culminating in the Dolphin Tank showcase, where finalists work with expert mentors to refine and present their ideas.
• Expanded teacher professional learning across the year.
• A continued focus on ethics, safety, and real-world application.

Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand: built for the New Zealand school context

Day of AI New Zealand is the first nationally designed, scalable AI literacy program created specifically for New Zealand’s school context. First piloted with 10 schools in 2025, the program provides curriculum-aligned learning resources for Years 5–10 that will be freely available to all schools across Aotearoa from 2026. Developed in partnership with Day of AI’s United States team, MIT’s RAISE (“Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education”) initiative, Day of AI Australia, and in collaboration with the Education Partnership & Innovation Trust (EPIT), Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ), Westlake Girls’ High School, and the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER), this initiative aims to ensure every learner can develop the knowledge and critical understanding needed to navigate AI responsibly.

Evaluation of the 2025 pilot found strong shifts in both student understanding and teacher confidence. Students moved from viewing AI as a “magic helper” to recognising it as a system that can be questioned, checked, and critically evaluated, while teachers reported greater confidence leading discussions about AI, ethics and responsible use. The program’s culturally grounded approach - incorporating Aotearoa-specific contexts and Māori concepts such as whakapapa, data sovereignty, tikanga, and kaitiakitanga - also supported deeper engagement and ethical understanding. Building on strong pilot results and interest from more than 100 schools ahead of launch, the next phase will scale nationally while expanding resources for classrooms and whānau and strengthening partnerships across education and industry.

Ensuring Access…Powered by Best-in-Class Collaborators

Day of AI Australia and Day of AI Aotearoa New Zealand prioritize students in low-ICSEA government schools, regional and remote communities, and schools serving higher proportions of First Nations students, helping ensure access to high-quality AI education regardless of postcode.

Day of AI Australia is delivered in partnership with UNSW Sydney. The program is backed by partners including Microsoft, Rokt, Commonwealth Bank, CDC Data Centres, and Officeworks Education, with support from Google.org and philanthropic contributions from TDM Foundation, P & S Bassat Foundation, and Square Peg. The program is also underpinned by ongoing research into student perceptions, confidence, and understanding of AI, ensuring continuous improvement and evidence-informed delivery.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the initiative is now seeking partners and funding to support the next phase of development. Phase 3 will expand the program from Years 5-10 to Years 11-13 and support the development of additional resources for schools, school leaders, and parents.