Dr Leon Furze

Yesterday, OpenAI released an “Economic Blueprint” for Australia. I have no idea whether somebody in our government asked for this, or what conversations have been held behind closed doors: I just know that we neither want, nor need OpenAI to insinuate itself into our policymaking.

The move comes as the US hands more and more power to technology companies. First, the proposed provision to prevent some US states from regulating AI for five years, giving tech companies carte blanche to write their own rules. Then, on June 30th, the White House released a list of signatories to the “Pledge to America’s Youth: Investing in AI Education”.

Of the 60 signatories, over half represent big tech, either the companies themselves or their venture capital funding counterparts. Among the organisations, are: Accenture, Adobe, Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Autodesk, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cisco, Charter Communications, Cognizant, Dell Technologies, GlobalFoundries, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI, Oracle, Palo Alto Networks, Qualcomm, Salesforce, SAP America, ServiceNow, Siemens, Workday, Scale AI, Y Combinator, Interplay and Pathfinder.

These are the companies who have taken it upon themselves to determine the future of AI in education in the US.

But Australia is not the US.

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OpenAI’s Blueprint

OpenAI’s Economic Blueprint for Australia is a 15 page long collection of “recommendations” and “advice” presented in the form of a ten-point action plan:

1. Roll out national AI skills training for workers, students, and managers
2. Offer targeted tax incentives for all businesses adopting AI
3. Embed AI literacy and responsible use in schools and universities
4. Modernise government services delivery through responsible AI
5. Provide secure access to government data for public-interest AI use
6. Upskill public service and empower a central AI capability unit
7. Reform AI procurement rules to support innovation and pilots
8. Invest in AI-ready infrastructure like data centres and compute
9. Ensure access to affordable, renewable energy for AI infrastructure
10. Establish Australia as a trusted regional hub for AI standards and investment in the Indo-Pacific

Education in the Crosshairs

Of course what concerns me the most is OpenAI’s attempt to steer education policy. A two-page spread on our sector begins with the deficit view that “Australia’s learning outcomes are declining”, a claim based on “PISA scores in reading, mathematics, and science all trending downward” and a decline in the standardised NAPLAN Literacy and Numeracy tests.

The blueprint provides graphs, lifted from OECD, to back up its argument, seemingly missing the point that Australia actually climbed back up in 2022 and instead claiming that “Australia’s global rankings have fallen”.

It’s OK though, because the multibillion dollar American technology company has the solution to our failures, suggesting that “AI offers a powerful way to help reverse this decline.”

OpenAI is of course unable to provide any evidence to back up that last claim, since no evidence exists.

OpenAI Didn’t Read the Docs

The Blueprint continues to make baseless claims about the advantages of AI in education, including this paragraph which seems to have been entirely written by ChatGPT:

“AI can also support students directly by enhancing access to personalised learning tools, improving research skills, and providing real-time tutoring support. From summarising complex topics to generating practice questions, AI can help students learn more independently and effectively, especially in underserved or remote communities.”

OpenAI, The Blueprint You Didn’t Ask For (2025)

But where things get really juicy are the “policy proposals” for education, based on two “challenges” related to Australia’s “growing learning gaps”.

Here they are in full:

Those of you who, like myself, have worked in education for a long time might actually recognise some of those recommendations, because, by and large, we’re already doing them.

• For example, the Australian Curriculum v9 (we are in no way ready for “v10”, given v9 was only recently published) already has an extensive AI Curriculum Connections page dedicated to surfacing AI links to the Digital Tech, Maths and Science curricula, with more subjects on the way. Senior computing studies programs like the VCE also have extensive coverage of AI, including ethical concerns.
• There already is a “national AI awareness day” in the form of Day of AI.
• The eSafety Commissioner already has lots of information about Generative AI and safety, and is a much more trustworthy source of information than OpenAI.
• Various curriculum authorities such as QCAA are already providing free resources for educators on AI use, assessment, academic integrity, and lesson planning.

OpenAI would have known this if it had bothered to do any research. Of course, research isn’t a concern: they are interested in directing policy, not in finding out what already exists.

We do not need technology companies to write our policies

OpenAI is already making serious moves, including briefing parliament just two days ago to outline the “financial benefit” of partnering with the tech company. These conversations, where OpenAI cajoles and persuades politicians with vague offers of economic benefits, have already happened. That they happened with zero consultation with anyone that matters is of absolutely no consequence to OpenAI, and is not at all surprising.

But following the release of OpenAI’s “Economic Blueprint”, including its two-pager about education, we still have an opportunity to push back.

Comment here or wherever you found this article. Tag educators who have an interest in policy, academic or practical experience, or who are experts themselves in using AI. Tag the politicians and policy makers who are being wooed by these glossy pamphlets and misleading quotes about the supposed advantages of AI.

We will not let OpenAI write our education policy.

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