Equity versus Productivity in the Age of AI Education

Episode Overview In this episode from the Festival of Education at Wellington College 2026, host Daniel Emmerson speaks with Victoria Hedlund, founder of GenEd Labs. Victoria discusses bias in generative artificial intelligence, the importance of inclusion, and what meaningful human oversight should look like in education. She also explores how educators can challenge AI outputs, balance productivity with equity, and preserve the essential human element in teaching. Key Topics & Timestamps - 00:00 Putting Output on Trial - 00:33 Introduction to Victoria Hedlund - 01:37 Researching Bias and Human Oversight - 03:11 Why Schools Must Focus on Bias - 05:56 Sparks, Lightbulbs, and Gender Stereotypes - 08:12 Frequency of Exposure: Teachers vs AI - 09:09 Visual Representation and Image Bias - 13:06 Questioning Assumptions and Model Iteration - 17:09 Equity Versus Productivity - 20:49 The Human in the Loop - 24:30 Embracing Messy Humanness in Education Key Takeaways & Highlights Putting AI on Trial: Teachers and students should treat AI outputs critically, challenging assumptions and testing validity rather than accepting generated content at face value. Deficit vs Strengths-Based Framing: Standard AI prompts often apply deficit-based language to neurodivergent or marginalised learners, requiring specific contextual framing from educators to deliver equitable outputs. Frequency of Exposure: While human teachers hold natural biases, students interact with AI models through hundreds of continuous iterations, amplifying potential harm if outputs remain unmitigated. Average vs Instantaneous Productivity: Relying on AI for quick administrative wins can sacrifice long-term accuracy, making upfront contextual alignment crucial for meaningful workload reduction. Preserving the Human Element: Complex emotional needs, non-verbal communication, and relational learning cannot be replicated by software, keeping human teachers central to classroom learning. Resources Mentioned GenEd Labs: Innovation lab focused on artificial intelligence research, inclusion, and educational tools. https://www.genedlabs.com/ Guest Contact Information Guest: Victoria Hedlund (Founder, GenEd Labs) Victoria is a thought leader, researcher and consultant focused on fair AI use in education. Known as the ‘AI Bias Girl,’ she creates practical awareness and mitigation strategies for educators and leaders, using her research of emergent AI bias in educational contexts. She is a major voice in AI pedagogical alignment and has contributed to the updated DfE and Chartered College *Safe and Effective Use of Generative AI in Education Guidance*, and to the British Computing Society's AI course ‘AI Confidence’. She is editor of *AI Bias in Education* and author of *100 Quick GenAI Prompts for Teachers and Educators*. She sits on the advisory board for the Institute of AI Education, is a member of the Centre for Digital Information Literacy in Schools Expert Working Group, and is part of Oxford University's AIEOU network. She convenes the Teacher Education AI Network (TEANs).