AI pilot gives Northern Ireland teachers time back

A six-month pilot put Gemini and Google Workspace tools directly into the hands of 100 teachers in Northern Ireland through the Education Authority’s C2k programme. In collaboration with Google for Education, teachers used the tools to streamline tasks and redesign elements of classroom work, steering the technology in ways that reflected their priorities.

Participating teachers reported saving an average of 10 hours per week and documented more than 600 unique use cases, from administrative streamlining to brainstorming engaging content. For Chris Lowe, Head of ICT at Ashfield Boys’ High School, the impact was immediate: “The time I saved using Gemini fundamentally allows me to do the job I want to do — and that is to teach.” He used Gemini to draft letters and create risk assessments, and NotebookLM to turn curriculum material into podcasts for exam preparation.

Teachers also used the tools to personalise learning and remove barriers.

Northern Ireland

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