Finding Your Place in The AI Educator Spectrum
In a world where artificial intelligence is transforming education, understanding your relationship with AI can help you harness their potential while navigating their challenges.
AI is already woven into the fabric of daily life. How confidently are you embracing these tools in your teaching practice? Based on my work with hundreds of Irish educators, I’ve observed four distinct patterns of AI adoption. These aren’t rigid categories—many teachers show characteristics of multiple types as they grow in confidence—but rather snapshots along a continuous spectrum of development. Here they are at a glance:
- Healthy Sceptics: Critical, cautious, and concerned with ethical use, policy gaps, and reliability. They ask hard questions before using anything with students.
- AI SOS Users: Use AI only under pressure or when stuck. Handy in a pinch but not part of their regular teaching toolkit.
- Explorers: Confident users who have found value in AI. They experiment, refine, and discuss usage openly with students.
- Power Users: Advanced, reflective, and strategic. They lead others and centre human values in their AI use.
1. The Healthy Sceptics
Characteristics:
- Aware of AI’s existence but hesitant to incorporate it into your workflow
- Correctly concerned about accuracy, privacy, or ethical implications
- Relies on well-established, evidence-based teaching methods
- Understands AI is part of the real world students need preparation for, so wants proper training, information, and guidelines before implementation
- Worried about unchecked use of AI without proper frameworks in place
I’ve deliberately chosen the term “Healthy Sceptics” because a measured degree of scepticism is not just beneficial, but essential when it comes to AI in education. This isn’t about resistance to change; it’s about approaching powerful new technologies with the critical thinking and careful consideration they warrant. As educators, we must model this healthy scepticism for our students, who will need these evaluation skills throughout their lives.
Healthy Sceptics have legitimate concerns about AI’s limitations. In the current educational landscape, there’s a glaring lack of official guidelines and preparedness, especially regarding what AI means for Leaving Certificate reform and assessment integrity. These educators aren’t simply resistant to change; they’re asking essential questions about how we thoughtfully integrate powerful new technologies while maintaining educational standards.
When Healthy Sceptics choose engage with AI, they craft prompts specifically designed to test the system’s limitations and evaluate its outputs against their high standards. They ask challenging questions in their subject area that they already know the answer to, allowing them to directly assess the AI’s accuracy. They’re less interested in efficiency gains and more focused on thoroughly vetting the technology before considering its use with students.
This healthy scepticism isn’t a weakness; it’s actually a crucial skill in the digital age that we should be modelling for our students.
2. The AI S.O.S. User
Characteristics:
- Turns to AI primarily during high-pressure situations or when “stuck”
- Lacks a consistent or systematic approach to AI, using it sporadically
- Often uncertain about AI’s broader capabilities
- Rarely follows through with deeper learning or consistent integration after the immediate “crisis” or need has passed
These “hit and run” users are open to the possibilities of AI but need guidance to expand their competence effectively. Their journey with AI typically begins through casual exposure—perhaps a colleague demonstrated ChatGPT during a lunch break, they read about it on social media, or they watched a quick tutorial online.
These educators use AI sporadically, often during high-pressure periods like exam seasons or when preparing summer tests. They’ve discovered AI can quickly generate comprehension exercises, multiple-choice questions, or revision materials when they’re pressed for time. They appreciate the convenience in these moments, but don’t fully incorporate AI into their regular teaching practice.
Their interactions with AI are typically brief, straightforward prompts that get to the point quickly—”Create a Multiple Choice Quiz on X” or “Write a comprehension passage about the Industrial Revolution”. While their prompts are simple, they’ve begun to notice that iteration leads to better results. With some patience and back-and-forth iteration, they can improve outputs, but they haven’t yet developed the habit of crafting detailed prompts from the start. This will come with increased use and practice.
They’re generally satisfied with their established routines and teaching methods, viewing AI as an occasional helper rather than a transformative tool. You’ll often hear them say things like, “It was quite handy that time before the Christmas exams,” or “I might use it again if I’m stuck for ideas,” indicating their appreciation for AI in specific circumstances without a commitment to regular use.
3. The Proficient Explorer
Characteristics:
- Regularly incorporates AI into daily workflows
- Has developed a thoughtful approach to AI integration
- Understands AI ethics and limitations
- Actively seeks out learning opportunities related to AI
Explorers have developed confidence in selecting appropriate AI platforms for specific purposes. They’ve recognised enough value in AI to invest in it; typically paying a subscription to platforms like ChatGPT Plus or similar services, having grown frustrated with the limitations and message limits of free versions.
These educators have begun to develop a more refined AI ecosystem, supplementing their primary and paid for AI tool with others like Perplexity, Claude, or specialised educational AI applications such as Brisk. They understand the nuances between different AI tools and select them based on their relative strengths for specific tasks.
Over time, Explorers have assembled a collection of “gold standard” prompts that consistently work well for their specific needs. They save these effective prompts and adapt them for different contexts. Their prompts are more detailed than those of AI SOS Users, often including specific instructions about format, tone, difficulty level, and learning objectives.
Explorers are notably more willing to discuss AI openly with their students. Rather than ignoring these tools, they acknowledge the reality that students are already using AI and provide practical guidance on ethical and effective use. They recognise that they cannot monitor how students use AI in their private time and instead focus on equipping them with responsible usage skills and strategies.
These educators explicitly teach students not to blindly trust AI outputs, emphasising the importance of verification, cross-referencing information, and applying critical thinking to evaluate AI-generated content. They begin to address head-on the fundamental understanding that work generated by AI is not equivalent to completing homework, conducting authentic research, or engaging in genuine study.
Like all Irish educators, Explorers wish for clearer guidance and formal policies from educational authorities. This can be frustrating, but they recognise that waiting for perfect policies isn’t an option when students are already actively using these tools.
4. The Power User
Characteristics:
- Fully integrates AI throughout work and personal life when appropriate
- Develops innovative approaches to AI-enhanced productivity
- Mentors others in effective AI integration
- Critically evaluates emerging AI applications and their implications
Power Users incorporate AI into strategic workflows (like below) that position human expertise, empathy, and judgment at the centre. This considered integration allows them to design lessons, resources etc., that once seemed impossible and to create content tailored to specific student needs across a range of ability levels.
Power Users have a strategic grasp of the AI landscape. They understand that no single tool does everything, so they deliberately select the right AI for each task; using ChatGPT or Claude to design differentiated lesson content, turning to Perplexity for up-to-date research, or deploying subject-specific tools like Brisk or Diffit when precision matters.
They don’t chase trends; they build systems. What sets them apart is not just their competence, but their awareness that this field moves fast. They make time for regular upskilling, knowing that without it, even the most confident user can become outdated in weeks. For Power Users, staying current is not optional. It’s part of the job.
These educators are typically the most confident in discussing AI with students, addressing ethical usage and providing practical guidance. Like all educators, they still desire official guidelines to support these conversations with institutional backing, but in the meantime, they have developed practical strategies for responsible AI use that they can articulate clearly.
They’ve also mastered effective prompting, treating it as a skill. They craft layered prompts that often set a specific persona for the AI (“Act as an expert history teacher designing a lesson for mixed-ability 14-year-olds”), provide context, and define precise output parameters. They often prefer voice input over typing, finding it a more natural way to articulate complex instructions.
Their experience makes them natural leaders in CPD settings, often leading teach-meets or training others. Despite their expertise, they remain grounded. They know that current AI tools require oversight, critical engagement, and the human touch that lies at the heart of education.
Conclusion: Where Do You Fall on the AI Spectrum?
Whatever your current position on the spectrum, the key to using AI well is balance. It is neither a miracle cure nor a threat to everything we value—it is a tool. A powerful one, yes, but only as effective as the intent and insight behind its use.
The core principles are the same no matter where you stand:
- Understand both the power and the perils of AI
- Use the AI your students are already using—Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp. These platforms are just a click away for them
- In the absence of national guidelines, we must place ourselves in the discussion
- Help students develop the skills they need to thrive in an AI-driven world: critical thinking, questioning, evaluation, and discernment
So—where do you find yourself on the spectrum? And just as importantly: where do you want to be next?
Patrick Hickey (@aiteachingguru) is an AI CPD Provider, Media Contributer, Current Teacher, Assistant Principal in Boherbue Comprehensive School, Co. Cork.
If you have any queries you can email www.aiteachingguru@gmail.com