Conversations around well-being and technology tend to focus on ways that technology can be used to ensure we are more efficient and productive, allowing us to carve out more time to do the things that matter most, including time to focus on our well-being.
Well-being can mean different things to different people. I therefore share the following definition to provide clarity:
“the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy” (Oxford Dictionaries | English, 2018).
At this moment in time, it is clear that we live in unprecedented and unpredictable circumstances. This is partly linked to the fact that we are living in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), marked by significant technological advancements alongside rapid development.
What is not often considered, however, is the impact of this rapid development on educators. Many of us within the education profession trained as teachers at a time when the most advanced technology we encountered was the interactive whiteboard (which many of us proceeded to use in decidedly non-interactive ways!). While the training provided for such technology may have been hit and miss, there was still a sense of having time to learn, apply, and adopt new digital skills within the pedagogical frameworks we operated in.
Nowadays, there has been a complete shift that is leaving many educators feeling apprehensive, lacking in confidence, and ill-equipped when it comes to teaching and learning in the age of AI.
I will therefore explore how this shift can impact the well-being of educators across three key areas:
With all the enthusiasm and possibilities surrounding the use of AI in education, it may come as a surprise to hear about the internal conflict experienced by some educators. In August 2025, a survey commissioned by BETT highlighted that 40% of teachers “feel they are cheating when using AI for core teaching tasks.” In addition, 44% of teachers surveyed “believe that they are not doing their jobs properly if they use this technology” (Lucas, 2025).
Furthermore, the survey highlighted a clear divide—of approximately 50%—between teachers who felt confident using AI in education and those who did not. This divide closely links to my own work supporting trusts, schools, and educators, which centers on building confidence for teachers who are not currently using AI in their practice.
This raises a key question: how do we support the well-being of educators transitioning from traditional teaching practices to emerging technological advances? How can this be done in ways that reduce anxiety and self-doubt when using tools that are collectively promoted as making teaching easier?
Safeguarding within education is an essential part of an educator’s role. The digital landscape we now operate in makes it increasingly challenging to protect students and vulnerable adults from harm, abuse, and neglect, while also establishing safe environments through clear policies and staff training.
This evolving landscape amplifies an educator’s duty of care beyond the school setting and requires schools to work alongside families to help monitor the use of AI in education outside school hours.
As a result, greater responsibility is placed on staff to support students in navigating and identifying bias and misinformation presented within AI-generated information and media. There is also an additional burden on schools as increasing numbers of young people turn to AI chatbots for comfort, reassurance, and companionship (TES Magazine, 2025).
The Online Safety Act, in countries such as the UK and Australia, places legal duties on online platforms, school-based commercial tools, and bespoke systems accessed by children to ensure they are protected from harmful content and contact. These legislative requirements demand that teaching staff understand both the benefits and limitations of AI in education so that it can be implemented safely, with care and consideration.
This raises an important question: how does the professional development of school-based staff ensure they feel confident enough to undertake this specific safeguarding focus?
In September 2025, a BBC News report outlined warnings issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about the growing trend of insider threats, including students hacking IT systems within educational institutions. The report highlighted that teachers were often unaware of this risk, with students illegally accessing staff systems through guessed passwords or stolen credentials. In addition, other security breaches are thought to originate from staff themselves (Tidy, 2025).
While there are no easy solutions to addressing cybersecurity risks, viewing cybersecurity through a similar lens to fire safety may help build staff confidence. Educational institutions are required to conduct regular fire drills to ensure that students and staff understand evacuation procedures. If similar approaches were adopted for cybersecurity breaches, such as procedural walkthroughs and preventative measures, staff would be clearer about what actions to take should an incident occur.
As we continue to provide education within an unfamiliar landscape that increasingly includes AI, we must explore new ways to support our collective well-being while using technology.
Bukky Yusuf is a senior leader, leadership coach and author, working with educators on a national and international basis. She has undertaken several leadership roles within mainstream and special school settings.
She participates with several organisations to increase diverse leadership within education (Leadership Matters, WomenEd & BAMEEd). Bukky supports the wellbeing of educators and co-edited 'The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing' which was released in October 2021.
Beyond the classroom, Bukky is a Trustee and an Ed(ucation) Tech(nology) Thought Leader with a variety of experiences that includes participating as a judge for The EdTech50 Schools, BETT Awards and serving as an Advisory Council member for Good Future Foundation. In 2019, she was appointed by the Department of Education as co-chair for the EdTech Leadership Group to support the Government’s EdTech strategy.