Features, Components and Processes of Developing Policy for Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED): Toward a Sustainable AIED Development and Adoption

Governments and private sectors are now putting in place the needed resources and infrastructure to harness the power of emerging technologies in education. One of these technologies is Artificial Intelligence (AI) which gained increasing attention due to its potential to enhance learning and teaching experiences, hence achieving better learning outcomes. However, AIED also comes with several concerns that raise continuous questions about its safe and effective adoption. The application of AIED needs to be planned and executed properly. One of the basic requirements for this to happen is that a comprehensive national policy on the use of AIED is put in place to guide its implementation and evaluate its effectiveness. Limited information exists in the literature on how to write an AIED policy. To address this research gap, this study therefore discusses the features, major components and processes that countries are advised to adopt for a comprehensive AIED policy development. Specifically, this study highlights four features for a good AIED policy, namely contextual, consultative, dynamic, and, implementable and measurable. It further proposes seven steps for an AIED policy development, namely (1) pre-drafting consultation, (2) stakeholder survey, (3) writing draft policy, (4) discussion on draft policy, (5) adoption and communication of policy document, (6) policy implementation plan, and (7) policy evaluation.