AI-Powered Threats to Schools: Why This Is Every Leader's Problem

This Isn't Someone Else's Responsibility

You might think online security is an IT issue. But AI has changed everything—and it's now a school leadership and teaching problem that demands your attention.

AI tools like ChatGPT are making sophisticated attacks accessible to anyone—including your own students. What used to require specialist knowledge can now be achieved with simple prompts. Meanwhile, threat actors are using AI to launch faster, scaled attacks on schools with convincing phishing, deepfakes, and automated social engineering.

This essential 1-hour online course, hosted by Professor Rose Luckin (UCL/Educate Ventures Research), cuts through the confusion to show you what's actually happening—and why every educator needs to understand it.

You'll discover:

• How AI tools are making "hacking" accessible to students with basic account access—the same techniques penetration testers use, now available through simple AI prompts
• Why the Harris Federation attack (£750,000 cost, 3 months recovery, 30,000 devices cleaned) could repeat itself in your school
• How AI enables criminals to target hundreds of schools simultaneously—faster and more convincingly than ever before
• Why CPD budgets are maxed out but this training can't wait—this is about resource allocation strategy, not just technical fixes
• The real challenge: ensuring staff understand and comply with your school's AI and online safety policies

This session is for you if:

• You need to understand why this has become a school leadership issue, not just an IT concern
• You're facing pressure to train staff on safe AI use but aren't sure where to start
• You want to grasp what threats are actually possible now—including from within your own student population
• You recognize your responsibility to protect your school community from these rapidly evolving risks

Walk away with clarity on the scale of the problem and your role in addressing it. This isn't about becoming a technical expert—it's about understanding enough to lead effectively and allocate resources strategically.

No technical expertise required—just the recognition that AI has made this every educator's problem.

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Renowned for not only her research into the design and evaluation of educational technology and AI, Rose has spent over 30 years developing and studying AI for education, and has been named as one of the 20 most influential people in education in the 2017 Seldon List, is the only non-US winner to have received the prestigious ISTE Impact Award, and at Bett UK 2025 was presented with the Bett Global Outstanding Achievement award: the highest honour in the show.