How to introduce AI in a school: a practical guide for leaders and teachers

Introducing artificial intelligence into a school is not about buying a tool. It changes how teachers prepare lessons, how pupils work with information and how the school communicates. The following guide outlines a tried-and-tested approach — from strategy to the first classroom pilots.

Why AI in education cannot be ignored

Artificial intelligence is no longer a thing of the future. Pupils use it at home, parents ask how the school works with it, and teachers feel pressure to find a meaningful response. The aim is not to replace teachers, but to free up their time from routine tasks (lesson preparation, worksheets and assessment) so they can spend it working with children.

5 steps to introducing AI

1. Appoint someone to lead AI at the school (usually the ICT coordinator together with a member of the leadership team).
2. Prepare a short school AI policy (1–2 pages).
3. Select 2–3 teachers for a pilot and one specific focus area (such as lesson preparation).
4. Evaluate the pilots after one semester — what worked and what did not.
5. Extend the approach to all staff with a short internal workshop.

Age limits and terms of use for AI tools

Before involving pupils in work with AI, you need to know the tools' age limits. Terms change, so always check the current requirements for each service. The following overview summarises the most commonly used tools as of this article's latest update.

• ChatGPT (OpenAI) — 13+ with a parent or legal guardian's consent, 18+ without consent.
• Google Gemini — 13+ for school Google Workspace for Education accounts; otherwise 18+.
• Microsoft Copilot — 18+ for the public version; also available to younger pupils under school management in Microsoft 365 A1/A3 education tenants.
• Claude (Anthropic) — 18+ for the public version; school access through the API under teacher supervision.
• Perplexity — 13+ with a parent or legal guardian's consent.

Alongside age limits, your rules should cover personal data protection — never enter pupils' names, national identification numbers, addresses or sensitive information about their health, behaviour or family circumstances into AI tools.

Common pitfalls

• AI is introduced from the top down without involving teachers — the project stalls.
• There are no rules — everyone does things their own way and leadership lacks oversight.
• The first pilot is too large (all staff at once) — no one has the capacity to evaluate it.
• AI is used as a substitute for thinking rather than as a tool — pupils lose their critical perspective.

Next steps

For practical ways to use AI in your role as a class teacher, read our article on AI for class teachers. For the technical side (equipment and spaces), see the guide How to equip an AI classroom.

From planning to working with pupils

Once the school has a strategy, rules and initial teacher pilots in place, it is time to involve pupils. A one-day project is a practical format — we explain the approach in An AI project day at school. If you would like external support to run the day, explore Project Days by Školní digitální studio.