Is your school using AI because it genuinely improves education — or because everyone else is talking about it?
By Novema, October 2026
That is one of the questions international-school leaders should be asking as AI moves rapidly from an emerging technology to an everyday part of education.
Research in 2025 by Novema, based on 2,115 parents of international-school parents across Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, reveals an important message:
Parents are broadly supportive of AI — but they want schools to use it carefully, purposefully and responsibly.
And the findings contain some surprises.
1. AI IS ALREADY MAINSTREAM AMONG PARENTS
Only 0.5% of parents surveyed had never heard of AI.
Around 53% use AI professionally, while about two-thirds use it personally. Just 11% have heard of AI but have not yet used it.
This means schools are dealing with a parent audience that is increasingly knowledgeable about AI and likely to have expectations about how schools should be using it.
2. PARENTS WANT AI TO MAKE SCHOOLS BETTER — NOT NECESSARILY REPLACE TEACHERS
The strongest support is for AI being used behind the scenes.
Parents are particularly receptive to AI for:
- Timetabling and resource planning
- Optimising class sizes and student mixes
- Administrative automation
- Resource and facilities management
- Personalised learning support
These applications can potentially reduce administrative workloads, improve resource utilisation and give teachers more time to focus on students.
The message for school leaders is straightforward:
Use AI where it adds value. Don’t use AI simply because it is available.
3. AI ASSESSMENT IS A MUCH HARDER SELL
Parents become considerably more cautious when AI starts making judgements about their children.
AI may be highly effective at identifying patterns in test results, marking objective questions and tracking progress.
But can it judge creativity, resilience, empathy, curiosity, leadership or motivation?
The Novema research suggests parents remain uncomfortable with AI taking responsibility for these more nuanced judgements.
The emerging model is therefore:
AI analyses. Teachers interpret. Teachers decide.
That distinction could become an important part of schools’ AI policies — and their communication with parents.
4. THE “BOT TEACHER” IS WHERE THE RED LINE APPEARS
AI-powered teaching assistants could provide students with instant explanations, personalised learning, revision support and even 24-hour assistance.
But this is also where parental resistance is strongest.
Bot teachers received the least support of the five AI applications tested.
In Singapore, 28% of parents oppose their use, even when the bots are positioned as assistants rather than replacements for human teachers.
Why?
Parents worry about:
Human relationships. Over-reliance. Screen time. Motivation. Pastoral care.
In other words:
Parents may welcome an AI teaching assistant. They are much less enthusiastic about an AI teacher.
5. NATIONALITY MATTERS
There is no single “international-school parent” attitude towards AI.
Novema found substantial differences between nationalities, with Asian expatriates generally more supportive of AI use in schools than Western expatriates.
Hong Kong/Taiwanese parents were particularly supportive of several AI applications.
UK and Japanese parents consistently showed lower levels of enthusiasm for several applications.
For international schools with highly diverse parent communities, this creates a significant communications challenge.
One AI strategy may not fit every parent audience.
6. WHAT PARENTS REALLY WANT SCHOOLS TO TEACH ABOUT AI
Perhaps the most important finding is that parents are remarkably consistent about one thing:
Children need to learn about AI.
But that doesn’t simply mean learning how to use ChatGPT or another AI platform.
Parents want children to understand:
- How AI works
- Where it can go wrong
- How it can be biased
- How to verify its answers
- How to protect privacy
- How to avoid over-reliance
- How to use AI ethically
- How AI will change future careers
The research identifies eight broad areas for an AI curriculum, ranging from AI literacy and responsible use through to critical thinking, technical skills and future readiness.
7. DIGITAL WELLBEING COULD BECOME AS IMPORTANT AS AI LITERACY
This is one of the most striking findings.
Among UK parents, 80% want digital wellbeing taught in both primary and secondary education, while 73% want children taught how to avoid over-reliance on AI at both stages.
Among ANZ and US nationals: more want digital wellbeing to be taught in both primary and secondary years (78% for both nationalities).
Among Indian parents, 89% want digital wellbeing taught in both primary and secondary years.
Like Singaporeans more Japanese want teaching of digital wellbeing and avoiding overreliance of AI taught in both primary and secondary years (76% and 81% respectively).
So, the question for schools isn’t simply:
“Are we teaching AI?”
It is increasingly:
“Are we teaching children how to live with AI?”
8. AI COULD BECOME A POWERFUL SOURCE OF SCHOOL DIFFERENTIATION
For international-school leaders, this presents a significant opportunity.
AI can potentially support:
- Better school operations.
- More personalised learning.
- More efficient use of resources.
- Enhanced learning experiences.
- New approaches to careers guidance.
- New technical and creative opportunities for students.
But the research suggests that simply claiming to be an “AI-equipped school” is unlikely to be enough.
The differentiator may be how intelligently the school integrates AI into its educational proposition.
That requires more than buying technology.
It requires a strategy.
It requires teacher training.
It requires clear policies around privacy, security and responsible use.
And it requires communicating the school’s approach clearly to parents.
The big question for international schools
The AI debate is often framed as:
“Will AI replace teachers?”
The Novema research suggests that this may be the wrong question.
A more useful question is:
“How can AI make teachers and schools more effective — while preserving the human qualities that parents value?”
The international schools that answer that question convincingly could create a powerful new point of differentiation.
And there is a final irony.
The most important AI skill we may teach children could be knowing when not to trust AI.
NOTE: the full report on this study is available on a commercial basis from Novema. Please contact Piers Lee, Managing Director, piers@novema-research.com.
