SAE Auckland recognises that AI is a polarising topic. Some argue that its use should be restricted or prohibited due to concerns about its impact on society, the environment, and future employment. Others believe that avoiding AI altogether would do our students a disservice, viewing it as a valuable collaborative tool for creative practice and an essential part of the world they will enter after graduation.

At SAE Auckland, we have consciously chosen a middle-ground approach. We acknowledge both the opportunities and challenges that AI presents and aim to equip students with the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and ethical awareness needed to use these tools responsibly and effectively.

Within our teaching and learning environment, there will be contexts where the use of AI is encouraged as part of the learning process, and others where students will be expected to develop and demonstrate their skills and knowledge without AI assistance. This reflects our commitment to fostering both technological literacy and independent creative and academic capability.

The AI Statement below outlines SAE Auckland’s approach to AI within our learning and teaching environment.

SAE Auckland is establishing a framework to guide students and staff on the appropriate use of AI tools in each assessment context. The framework recognises that the appropriate use of AI will vary according to the learning outcomes, discipline, course, and nature of the assessment.

AI tools may be used where they support students to demonstrate that they have achieved the relevant learning outcomes. However, where the use of AI does not contribute to, or is not relevant to, demonstrating the learning outcomes, its use may not be permitted. Similarly, where the use of AI would prevent or significantly reduce the opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, or capabilities represented by the learning outcomes, AI use will not be permitted.

To support this approach, SAE will undertake an ongoing review and redesign of assessment practices and assessment tasks. This will include identifying opportunities to strengthen assessment design so that students are required to demonstrate their own learning and achievement, and to minimise opportunities for the unauthorised use of AI tools that compromise the validity or integrity of assessment. The focus of this approach is not on restricting AI use for its own sake, but on ensuring that assessment remains a meaningful and reliable means of demonstrating student learning and achievement. Where AI is an appropriate and authentic part of professional practice, assessment design will seek to reflect this while maintaining the integrity of the learning outcomes being assessed.

SAE Auckland – AI Statement on Teaching and Learning (view here)

This statement has been endorsed by the SAE Auckland Academic Board.

Recognising the rapid pace of change in this area, our SAE Auckland AI statement will be reviewed by the AI Working Group every four months and updated as required to ensure it remains relevant and fit for purpose. This includes the continuous review of student assessment to determine where the use of AI is appropriate.