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In Scotland, a pioneering approach has been taken by Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire, which has appointed the UK’s first dedicated principal teacher of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy. This role is specifically designed to help both students and staff navigate the complexities, advantages, and potential risks that AI technology presents. Jamie Laycock, formerly a principal teacher of biology, now fills this position, advocating for a balanced approach that neither blindly embraces AI nor ignores its growing presence. “We can’t just hope AI goes away,” Laycock emphasizes, underscoring the need for education that encourages pupils to question and critically engage with AI rather than accepting it uncritically.
One of the first challenges Laycock set for his pupils involved identifying real versus AI-generated images, revealing just how difficult detecting sophisticated AI “deepfakes” has become. Beyond recognizing manipulated media, the curriculum addresses other AI-related issues, such as “hallucinations”—instances where AI confidently offers fabricated information. “I think hallucination is actually a really bad word, but it basically makes stuff up,” Laycock explains. He stresses that young people must be taught to maintain a healthy skepticism about AI-generated content and verify information independently. Another concern he highlights is the tendency to anthropomorphize AI chatbots, treating them like trustworthy friends or experts simply because of their human-like interactions. Laycock warns, “It has human-like qualities but actually this is just a machine,” a distinction that young learners especially need to keep in mind.
Laycock also points out that AI tends to flatter its users by agreeing with their ideas rather than challenging them, which can discourage critical thinking. “It’s sycophantic,” he says. “It always tells you you’re amazing, that your idea is great. We need to be teaching our young learners about that so that they don’t get trapped and hooked into the technology and become over-reliant.” His teaching approach adapts according to students’ age and stage, focusing initially on foundational knowledge and critical thinking before moving into practical AI applications. Laycock clarifies, “We’re not saying that we’re advocates for AI, and we’re not saying that it is good or bad. Our learners need to know how to use it appropriately so that they can get the best out of it.”
This initiative comes amid growing interest from both families and students regarding AI’s future impact on career paths. At Mearns Castle, all first- and second-year students receive AI literacy lessons, while older pupils explore the topic through citizenship and personal and social education courses. An elective AI course is available for senior students, with Laycock playing a role in training other teachers and developing teaching resources for broader use. Several sixth-year students have volunteered to collaborate on how best to integrate AI learning across the school. Reflecting this concern, 17-year-old student Tomo, who plans to study finance and economics, wonders how AI might reshape his future profession. Fellow classmates express similar caution, stressing that AI should be a supportive tool rather than a shortcut to answers, with Anna noting that exercises on deepfakes have left her less confident in distinguishing real from fabricated images.
Head teacher Stuart Clark highlights the significant implications AI will have on the economy and society. He states, “We’re really clear that acting on AI is not the same thing as advocating for it or promoting it. There will be risks associated with AI and there will be opportunities and it’s really important that we don’t make the same mistakes that society made with social media with young people adopting social media use without being fully educated on the implications.” This thoughtful approach aligns with national guidelines issued by the Scottish government in March, which emphasize the ethical use of AI in schools, cautioning against overreliance and stressing the preservation of meaningful human interactions. Education Secretary Màiri McAllan praised efforts to support AI literacy across education settings, acknowledging that as AI technologies evolve rapidly, ongoing review and adaptation will be necessary to ensure learners and educators remain well-equipped to face these challenges and opportunities
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