Some schools are seeking more information about Chat GPT, an internet artificial intelligence model developed by OpenAI in the United States.
Chat GPT can be explored while the technology is in the research phase but the developer is upfront there is a risk of misinformation or harmful content being shared.
Some New Zealand schools, including Queen Margaret College, are preparing student use policies.
As part of this, the school has sought advice from psychologist Dr Paul Duignan.
"Find out how it works, just actually play with it because it's only really when you play with it you get a real feeling for what it can do," Duignan advised.
"The next thing is to think about what does this mean for the future, for their students when they go into the world of work and life, what does that actually mean cause that's what they're trying to prepare them for — now that's not easy because no one really knows exactly what it will mean but they need to think about that, then how they can use it to help kids learn, how they can use it themselves."
Duignan said it's important schools release guidance, even if just an interim policy, to provide clarity for staff and the community.
Universities across the country are also discussing the role of Chat GPT and are at different stages with this work.
At Victoria University of Wellington, some staff are concerned about the impact on assessments and student learning but the university's encouraging staff to embrace it.
"We'd much prefer our staff to design assessments in such a way that they don't need to have those detection tools because the assessments themselves potentially ask the students to use AI," Vice-Provost Professor Stuart Brock said.
Ministry of Education acting chief digital officer Mark Horgan said in a statement the government organisation is monitoring the banning or limiting of Chat GPT in some educational contexts overseas.
No communication has been provided to the education sector at this stage but the agency is keeping an eye on developments to determine if national support is needed to help teaching staff and students safely use the technology.
"The ability of AI to write plausible poems, stories, musical lyrics, and essays may require the focus of learning and assessment to shift towards the process of producing these types of products," Horgan said.
He said it's important for students to show their learning in a variety of ways, not just written text.
"For example, a student could describe the process taken to formulate their final opinion or show comprehension via verbal explanations or other appropriate methods," he said.
"Blocking or banning AI is not a viable approach in the long term and we will need to strike a balance to maximise the benefits other AI and ChatGPT offer."
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