Recently, the Prime Minister of Norway, Stoltenberg, announced a phased restriction on the use of generative AI tools in schools to prevent negative impacts on students' learning. According to the latest plan published by the Norwegian government, the country will comprehensively establish multi-layered defenses for the use of AI in schools. Students aged 6 to 13 are generally prohibited from using generative AI tools.
For middle school students aged 14 to 16, the policy allows them to cautiously access relevant tools under strict supervision by teachers. For high school students aged 17 to 19, the Norwegian government has shifted to a guiding approach, requiring them to learn how to use AI appropriately to prepare for higher education and future work environments.
This policy reflects the increasingly rational governance scrutiny in the global education sector as it faces the wave of generative AI. As generative AI, represented by large language models, deeply penetrates daily learning, how to balance the convenience brought by technology with potential risks such as cognitive decline and academic misconduct has become a core issue for education departments around the world.
Norway's strategic move of "precision control" and "gradual guidance" based on age provides an important national example for the compliant application and boundary setting of generative AI in primary and secondary education globally, and also indicates that AI education applications are moving from uncontrolled growth to the deep waters of institutionalization.
