Ms Nicholl has said: “If education is about preparing our young people for the world they will be growing up and working in, it is absolutely essential that they understand the realities of artificial intelligence and the impact it is having on our society and economy.

“It’s therefore crucial that teachers are equipped to help them with that and are supported in making use of AI tools in an ethical and responsible manner. In that sense, this announcement is important.

“Despite this, however, we remain deeply concerned, once again, about the lack of delivery from the First and deputy First Minister on the publication of the draft AI Strategy. Without this strategy, departments are now designing their own guidelines and we risk having a patchwork, inconsistent approach across our government. What we really need is an overarching, unified outlook that sets the tone for the whole Executive, and the wider public and private sectors.

“That is the job of the Executive Office to deliver and we must see progress sooner rather than later.

“Our heads of government have had the draft strategy on their desk since December, but it remains unpublished for public consultation with no clarity as to why there has been such a delay. They must now publish the draft with urgency and allow for a wide range of responses or we risk falling behind, with neighbouring jurisdictions now pushing ahead with their own strategies.”