AI in Education in NI Conference

Northern Ireland’s school leaders and education professionals have come together for the first time to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in classrooms and learning environments.

Organised jointly by the Education Authority’s Education Information Solutions (EdIS) Programme and the Innovation Forum, the ground-breaking ‘AI in Education in NI’ conference took place on Tuesday 21 November in the award-winning science discovery centre, W5, in Belfast.

In attendance were two hundred school principals and senior teachers, together with representatives from the Department of Education (DE), Education Authority (EA), Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and other education leaders.

AI in Education Conference Highlight

Welcome and introduction

John Anderson, Independent Chair of the Education Network NI Innovation Forum

Conference Introduction

EdIS Director, Frances Meehan, opens the AI in Education in NI Conference, as filmed in W5, Belfast.

AI in Education: Setting the Scene

Damian Harvey, Interim Head of C2k

Google Keynote: A school leader’s perspective on Google Bard and Duet

Andrew Caffrey, Canopy CEO

AI guardrails in the curriculum and in examinations

Michael McEnery and Andrew Douglas, CCEA

Microsoft Keynote: A principal’s perspective on Microsoft 365 Copilot

Hugh Meenagh, Education Specialist

  • AI in Education in NI Conference speakers John Anderson, Frances Meehan, Andrew Caffrey, Mairead Pratschke, Damian Harvey and Kevin Marshall
  • Andrew Caffrey, Canopy speaking at the AI in Education in NI Conference
  • Hugh Meenagh, Microsoft speaking at the AI in Education in NI Conference
  • John Anderson, Frances Meehan, Andrew Caffrey, Mairead Pratschke, Damian Harvey, Kevin Marshall
  • John Anderson, Innovation Forum speaking at the AI in Education in NI Conference
  • Attendees participating in the Lunch and Learn session where school leaders discussed the current use of AI in schools
  • Attendees participating in the Lunch and Learn session where school leaders discussed the current use of AI in schools
  • Mairead Pratschke speaking at the AI in Education in NI Conference
  • Mairead Pratschke speaking at the AI in Education in NI Conference
  • Teachers on stage at the AI in Education in NI Conference
    Last updated: 10/11/2025
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