Kathryn McCallum: Canterbury University Associate Professor of Digital Education on teachers warn AI could replace human judgement in classrooms

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Sep 30, 2026 · 3m · transcript

The debate over AI marking in schools is back, with secondary teachers warning the tech could eventually replace human judgement.

A paper presented to the PPTA says automated marking is likely to expand under the qualification replacing NCEA, and assessment decisions must remain in human hands.

Canterbury University Associate Professor of Digital Education Kathryn McCallum told Ryan Bridge AI could be useful for simpler assessments, where human judgement isn’t needed, to speed up the process.

But she says the risk is that teachers aren't able to understand learners and give feedback when the…