Austin Earl to discuss AI at Education Business LIVE

Education leaders will explore the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in schools at Education Business LIVE 2026, taking place on 26 March at Old Billingsgate.

Among the speakers at the event will be Austin Earl from techUK, who will contribute to a series of sessions examining how emerging technologies are shaping the education sector.

Austin will present a session titled “AI in the Classroom – Ethics, Evidence and Impact in an Evolving Digital Landscape”. This will explore how research led certification can help schools adopt AI tools that are safe, effective and ethically grounded. Drawing on evidence from early adopters, it will examine AI’s real impact on teaching, learning, workload, assessment and the standards schools should expect around safety, bias and data protection.

He will also take part in a discussion titled “Driving Digital Transformation in Education – From Fragmentation to Best Practice”, which explores how education leaders, government and industry partners can drive coherent progress in schools’ digital maturity. It will examine what digital maturity means in practice, what is holding schools back, and how to move from short term fixes to a sustainable long term digital strategy.

In addition, Austin will chair a panel session titled “Building BECTA 2.0: Are We Losing Our Digital Promise Without a Central Strategy?”. The discussion will consider how the education sector can respond to the challenges of digital transformation at a time of fragmentation, funding pressures and rising expectations. It will bring together organisations forming a new coalition to discuss collaboration across the sector, recent policy developments, ongoing gaps in digital access and skills, and the vision for a more coordinated national approach.

Joining the discussion as panellists will be Jim Knight, The Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth; Rob Peters from the NGA; Chris Goodall, Head of Digital Education, Bourne Education Trust; Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance; and Cheryl Shirley, Director of Digital Learning at LEO Academy Trust. They will bring perspectives from governance, digital education leadership and digital inclusion.

Education Business LIVE takes place on 26 March 2026 at Old Billingsgate, London, bringing together school and trust leaders for a full day of insight, discussion and networking. Register for free here.