The integration of generative artificial intelligence into early childhood education and care policies in Australia: an expert interview

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has been rapidly applied across educational contexts, yet its governance in early childhood education and care (ECEC) remains far less clearly articulated within existing policy frameworks in many countries. In Australia, a policy imbalance is evident: while GenAI use in schools has received explicit national guidance, its implications for ECEC are addressed through broader digital frameworks only. Against this backdrop, this research explores Australian educational experts’ views on whether and how GenAI should be incorporated into ECEC policy. Drawing on qualitative expert interviews with seven Australian academics, this research adopts thematic analysis to examine the experts’ positions, rationales, and perceived challenges. Findings show that most experts supported policy engagement with GenAI in ECEC, but their support was cautious, protective, and conditional. Their rationale centred on child welfare, developmental appropriateness, ethical use, educator professionalism, and concerns about delayed and generic policymaking. Experts advocated for a blended top-down and bottom-up approaching involving a wide range of key stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, practitioners, researchers, families and communities). This study argues that GenAI policy for ECEC should not simply extend school-based frameworks to early childhood settings, but should be sector-sensitive, participatory, enactable, and aligned with Australia’s existing ECEC frameworks.