Released by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), the Student Lifestyle and Learning Report 2026 found AI use among school leavers is uneven, with one in five (20 per cent) of respondents in the previous month saying they hadn’t used AI tools, and more than a third (36 per cent) reporting using them occasionally (less than once a week).

Only 20 per cent said they used AI frequently (more than three times a week).

Drawing on responses from 20,813 school leavers, UAC’s Student Lifestyle and Learning Report 2026, highlights a generation actively thinking about how AI will shape their future careers and what responsible use of the technology should look like.

As they enter an increasingly AI-enabled workforce, one third of respondents (33 per cent) said they expect their course to teach them practical AI skills as well as guidance on responsible and effective use.

Across the nation high schools are steadily integrating AI into the classroom to build AI literacy, focusing on ethical use, prompt engineering, and critical thinking.

Under the National Framework, students are using “safe AI” tools like EduChat to aid learning, brainstorm ideas, and refine writing skills. The approach is emphasising checking for hallucinations, understanding bias, and using AI as a tool for productivity.

UAC Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer, Kim Paino, says the report findings reflect a cohort that is both thoughtful and forward-looking in its approach to emerging technologies.

“School leavers are thinking carefully about how AI will shape their futures.

“While many are already experimenting with these tools, they are still working out where AI fits into their learning and career pathways.

“They’re telling us they want practical guidance on how to use AI responsibly and effectively.”

The report provides a comprehensive snapshot of Australia’s Year 12 cohort, tracking trends in career aspirations, study intentions and learning preferences.

Research suggests Australian teachers are more likely to be using AI than their counterparts around the world.

The OECD’s latest teaching and learning international survey shows that about two-thirds (66 per cent) of lower secondary teachers reported using AI in 2025. This puts Australia as the fourth highest country within the OECD and far above the OECD average of 36 per cent.

Of Australian teachers who used AI, the most common purposes were brainstorming lesson plans and learning about and summarising content.

They were unlikely to use AI to review data on student performance (nine per cent of those who use AI, compared to 28 per cent across the OECD) and to assess student work (15 per cent, compared to 30 per cent across the OECD).

A new international study, meanwhile, has found that boys are more confident at working with AI and performed better in some classes compared to their female counterparts, and recommends that schools must do more to help girls master AI.

Researchers who carried out the study in Qatar, suggest that AI be taught in primary schools – and that teachers show students how to use AI tools, to help with their schoolwork.

Lead researcher Dr Zubair Ahmad, from the Qatar University Young Scientists Center, says there are several possible reasons why the links between confidence, institutional support, and learning outcomes were stronger in boys than in girls.

“Technology and AI are often perceived as a male-dominated domain which can influence students’ belief in their abilities and their engagement in the subject,” he explains.

“And, as a result female students may have lower confidence in their abilities or be less likely to experiment with AI tools.

Ahmad says the teaching style may matter, too.

“We know, for example, that some students prefer very structured lessons, others thrive on the combination of gentle guidance and the freedom to explore.”

Ahmad and his colleagues developed a 35-question survey that explored the relationship between students’ confidence and belief in their ability to learn and use AI, how much they had learnt and how much support they got from their teacher and school.

The questionnaire was completed by 743, 15- to 18-year-olds who were studying computing and IT at high school in Qatar. Participants comprised both Qatari nationals and students from diverse Asian and African backgrounds.

“Schools should also do more to support girls specifically,” Ahmad says.

“This could be done by providing them with more female role models in AI, creating a classroom environment in which all students feel comfortable, so that girls perceive that they are equally supported, which will boost their belief in their abilities to engage with AI.