SACAI’s AI Symposium on responsible AI in Education

SACAI hosted its inaugural AI Symposium on 16 April 2026, bringing together teachers, institutional leaders, assessment bodies, education specialists and researchers to explore the responsible, ethical and practical use of artificial intelligence in classrooms and assessment environments.

As AI continues to move from theory to daily use across the education sector, the symposium created space for an informed and necessary conversation about how these tools should be used in ways that support learning, protect academic integrity and strengthen trust in assessment.

The event focused on the opportunities AI presents for teaching, support and innovation, while also addressing the challenges that educators and institutions are already confronting. These include questions around ethics, authenticity of learner work, bias, governance, assessment credibility and the role of human oversight.

The symposium featured input from a range of education and assessment stakeholders, offering different perspectives on how AI is being understood, applied and managed within South African education contexts.

• Prof Anné Verhoef (Northwest University) – The necessity of AI policy and its implementation in education. One of the first universities with an AI policy, Prof Verhoef unpacked why AI policy in education can’t remain theoretical, and what “implementation” actually looks like in practice. His session focused on the governance basics schools and systems need, such as clear rules, accountability, and realistic adoption plans, so AI use is consistent, ethical and defensible.
  
  

• Ms Karen Comley (Optimi Impaq) – From Draft to Mark: Managing AI Use in Creative Writing Tasks. This talk explored one of the hardest classroom questions right now: how to handle AI in writing without killing creativity or compromising integrity. Comley shared practical ways to set expectations, structure tasks, and assess process, not just the final product, so teachers can still evaluate authentic learner skill. 
  
  

• Ms Melanie Kroukamp (Skole Ondersteuningsentrum) – AI in a FLASH: Practical Classroom Tools and Responsible Use for Real Teachers. Kroukamp provided a rapid, teacher-first view of AI tools that can support lesson planning, differentiation and daily classroom efficiency. The focus was strongly practical: how to use AI responsibly, what to avoid, and how to apply it in ways that help teachers without creating new risks. 
  
  

• Mr Mike Wilter (Special Advisor to the Ministry of Basic Education) – A Practical Playbook for Safe, Ethical and Effective AI in Teaching, Learning and Assessment. Wilter outlined the building blocks of safe AI adoption in schools, with a clear emphasis on ethics, safeguards and learner protection. His session offered a “playbook” approach, what schools should put in place first, how to manage risk, and how to keep AI aligned to teaching and assessment outcomes.
  
  

• Mr Tshepo Makgobatlou (Graceland Combined School) – Bridging the Gap: Practical AI Integration for CAPS-Aligned Teaching and Assessments. Makgobatlou brought the conversation into the real world of CAPS classrooms, showing how AI can support teaching and assessment without drifting away from curriculum requirements. The session highlighted practical integration ideas that teachers can apply while maintaining alignment, fairness and credibility.
  
  

• Dr Chris-Mari le Hanie (Akademia) – The human in the loop: Rethinking teaching, learning and assessment in the Age of AI. This presentation focused on the role humans must continue to play when AI becomes part of learning and assessment. Dr le Hanie explored what needs to change and what must remain non-negotiable.
  
  

• Dr Belinda van der Westhuizen (Wingu Academy) – Using AI Responsibly in Online Teaching and Assessment: Practical Lessons from an Online School Context. Drawing on online-school realities, Dr van der Westhuizen shared practical lessons on responsible AI use in digital teaching and assessment environments. The session addressed how to support learners, guide ethical use, and protect assessment integrity in settings where technology is already central.
  
  

• Mr Nic Reimer (The Invigilator App) – Online assessments and monitoring in an AI world. Reimer tackled one of the most pressing challenges: how to maintain credible assessment when AI tools are widely accessible. His talk looked at online invigilation and monitoring approaches, and how institutions should consider to protect integrity without creating a hostile learner experience.
  
  

Mr Chris Klopper, CEO of SACAI, said the symposium comes at an important time for the education sector. “Artificial intelligence is no longer a future issue in education. It is already here, and institutions, teachers and assessment bodies need to engage with it in a way that is responsible, informed and practical. This symposium is about bringing the right people together to have that conversation.”

SACAI believes the conversation around AI in education must move beyond hype and fear, and instead focus on what responsible implementation looks like in practice. That includes understanding where AI can add value, where caution is needed, and how policies and systems can evolve to protect the integrity of both learning and assessment.

“We need a balanced discussion,” adds Klopper. “There is real value in innovation, but there is also a responsibility to ensure that the use of AI supports fairness, accountability and quality in education.”

Each presenter’s recording can be watched below.