Artificial Intelligence Tools: Schools

Lord Clement-Jones Excerpts

Monday 26th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

We intend to launch the consultation and certification framework very soon—this autumn. I will come back to the noble Baroness about the AI sovereign benchmarks. I understand that they are already operationalised, but I will respond specifically respond to that point.

[Lord Clement-Jones (LD)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as an adviser to DLA Piper on AI regulation and policy. A list of safe tools can tell us what to avoid. What is the Government’s vision for what AI in schools can achieve for children? Will they adopt a human flourishing test for AI in schools? That would mean asking not just whether a tool avoids harm but whether it independently improves children’s learning, curiosity, critical thinking and agency.

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

I wish the noble Lord a very happy birthday. Of course, he is right. That is why we need different elements of protection and, as he rightly said, promotion. The certification would enable schools more quickly and easily to see the edtech products that met the standards. In January, we strengthened our product safety standards both to reflect emerging risks and developments in AI technologies and to ensure that AI supports genuine learning and does not undermine children’s ability to think, learn and develop independently. The certification scheme enables the development by legitimate edtech companies of the type of technology which will help to support children’s learning.