7 AI Keynote Speakers for Australian Schools and Education Leaders (2026)

By Jonno White. Last updated 29 July 2026.

Seven AI keynote speakers with current, verifiable relevance to Australian schools and education leaders are Dan Bowen, Matt Bower, Leon Furze, Priya Lakhani, Brett Salakas, Karsten Schulz and Matthew Esterman. The right choice depends on whether your audience needs classroom practice, assessment design, governance, STEM engagement, system leadership or an international perspective.

Australia's national framework gives organisers a useful test. A school AI keynote should help leaders use generative AI responsibly and ethically in ways that benefit students, schools and society. Education Ministers endorsed the reviewed framework in June 2025, so a useful session now needs to support sound decisions, not simply demonstrate impressive tools. Australian Government Department of Education

Compare the seven speakers at a glance

The names below appear alphabetically by surname. The order is not a ranking. Every person has current evidence of AI expertise, education relevance, speaking activity and a practical route for an Australian organiser to check availability.

Speaker	Useful when the audience needs	Current Australian fit	Evidence
Dan Bowen	School technology strategy, responsible implementation and Microsoft context	Sydney based, with current work across schools and school systems	Speaking page
Matt Bower	Research led school AI, assessment and principal level decisions	Macquarie University professor with 2026 school sector keynotes	Presentation record
Leon Furze	Generative AI literacy, assessment, policy and staff learning	Victoria based and currently serving Australian schools	Current services
Priya Lakhani	International system perspective, AI policy and education technology	Delivered the 2026 Independent Schools Queensland keynote in Brisbane	Current profile
Brett Salakas	Teacher centred digital learning, AI and modern school technology	Australian educator and active 2026 education presenter	Current event profile
Karsten Schulz	AI literacy, STEM and practical explanations for teachers and students	Brisbane based, with school sector AI keynote evidence	Institute profile
Matthew Esterman	Whole school capability, governance, workload and coordinated practice	Sydney based, with current school and conference presentations	Current practice

Seven AI keynote speakers for schools and education leaders

Dan Bowen connects AI with school technology strategy

Dan Bowen is a Sydney based speaker and education technology strategist who works with schools and school systems. His current speaking page says he is available for conference keynotes, panels and industry briefings, while his profile records a background as a teacher, school improvement adviser and school inspector. Dan Bowen

Bowen is a useful fit when the event needs AI connected with technology strategy, responsible implementation and the realities of a Microsoft environment. A University of Queensland school webinar identifies him as Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer for Education and frames his session for teachers and school leaders. University of Queensland

Matt Bower brings research and school leadership evidence

Professor Matt Bower is a Macquarie University education researcher whose current profile focuses on the use of technology and AI for learning. Macquarie records that he contributed to the Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools and leads the Research on AI in School Education Lab. Macquarie University

Bower's current presentation record includes 2026 sessions for the Victorian Government Schools Principals Conference, the Sydney Morning Herald Schools Summit and a school professional learning day. This makes his evidence especially relevant when an audience wants research, assessment design and school leadership questions handled together. Matt Bower

Leon Furze combines practical learning with policy depth

Leon Furze is an Australian education consultant, author and speaker whose current services focus on generative AI for schools, universities and education organisations. His advertised speaking topics include assessment, AI ethics, academic integrity, student wellbeing, policy and school leadership strategy. Leon Furze

Furze is a useful fit for staff learning or leader events that need practical classroom application and policy depth. His current page offers in person and virtual keynotes, workshops and advisory work, and it names schools as a core audience rather than an occasional addition.

Priya Lakhani offers an international system perspective

Priya Lakhani is the founder and chief executive of CENTURY Tech, an education technology company developing learning tools for schools, colleges and universities. Her current profile describes work on responsible AI, personalised learning, assessment and educator insight. Priya Lakhani

Lakhani brings an international system and policy perspective. Independent Schools Queensland booked her for both keynote sessions at its March 2026 Responsible AI in Schools Summit in Brisbane, with a brief spanning strategy, operations, policy, leadership and classroom practice. Independent Schools Queensland

Brett Salakas focuses on teacher practice and digital learning

Brett Salakas is an Australian educator, author, HP Education Ambassador and international keynote speaker. A current Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia profile records 26 years of education experience across Australia and South East Asia, with a focus on turning theory into classroom practice. AISWA

Salakas is a useful fit when the event needs teacher energy, digital learning and practical technology leadership rather than a technical research lecture. The same profile places him in a 2026 school technology program covering AI powered threats, modern learning and school leadership.

Karsten Schulz makes AI and STEM easier to understand

Dr Karsten Schulz founded the Digital Technologies Institute in Brisbane. The institute describes him as a keynote speaker in digital technologies and AI education, with a mission to make computer science accessible to students and teachers. Digital Technologies Institute

Schulz is a useful fit for STEM, AI literacy and audiences that need a clear explanation of how generative systems work. The Educational Computing Association of Western Australia selected his 2025 keynote for audiences from primary through senior secondary years, including teachers and school leaders. ECAWA

Matthew Esterman supports whole school capability

Matthew Esterman is the Sydney based founder of The Next Word and leads Educator Intelligence, both focused on AI capability in schools. His current practice page offers presentations and workshops for school communities, leadership groups, boards and education conferences. The Next Word

Esterman is a useful fit when a school needs a coordinated implementation conversation across teaching, administration, governance and workload. A 2026 National Education Summit session places him in the AI in the Classroom stream, while his current program is designed for early childhood, primary and secondary education roles. National Education Summit

The evidence separates the speakers into three useful lanes

Six of the seven speakers are based in Australia. Priya Lakhani has current evidence of travelling to Brisbane for an Australian schools keynote. This gives organisers mostly local options while keeping one recent international perspective in the same evidence set.

Four of the seven explicitly show more than one delivery format on their current pages, such as a keynote plus a workshop, briefing or panel. That matters because a short opening session and a half day staff learning program solve different problems, even when the topic line looks similar.

The profiles also separate into three content lanes. Bowen, Bower, Furze and Esterman have direct evidence around school systems, governance or implementation. Salakas and Schulz lean towards teacher practice, technology engagement or AI literacy. Lakhani adds international policy and education technology scale.

These findings were calculated only from the seven verified profiles in this directory. Agency descriptions were not used as a substitute for a current owned or recognised primary source.

Choose the outcome before choosing a speaker

Choose the problem the room must solve before choosing a name. The Australian Framework for Generative AI in Schools covers teaching and learning, wellbeing, transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy and security. A brief that names the priority will produce a more useful shortlist than a broad request for an inspiring AI talk. Australian Curriculum

Decision question	Evidence to ask for
Does the room need classroom practice or system strategy?	A recent full session for the same type of audience, not only a short promotional reel
Is the audience mainly teachers, principals, boards or system leaders?	Specific examples from that audience, with the speaker's role made clear
Must the session cover policy, assessment, privacy or AI literacy?	A current topic description that names the issue directly
Is one keynote enough?	A written option for a keynote, workshop or follow on resource that matches the outcome
What would make the session useful a month later?	One practical decision, tool or shared language the audience can carry into work

At Victoria's first statewide AI in Education Symposium in April 2026, 200 teachers, education support staff and school leaders attended across government, Catholic and independent schools. Associate Professor Joanne Blannin put the human boundary plainly: "The teacher is the one who knows what matters." Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership

That is a sound test for a school AI keynote. The technology should be explained clearly, but the session should leave professional judgement, student wellbeing and human accountability at the centre.

Use this written scorecard to compare three candidates

Send the same brief to three possible speakers, then score each written response from zero to two against the five checks below. Zero means the response does not address the check. One means it partly addresses it. Two means it gives clear, relevant evidence.

Check	What earns two points
Audience match	A recent example involving the same kind of education audience
Outcome match	A clear explanation of what people will know, decide or do afterwards
Evidence match	A recent session, resource or topic description that supports the proposed angle
Format match	A written session design that fits the available time and any deeper learning needed
Safety match	A clear approach to privacy, wellbeing, accountability and professional judgement

A candidate scoring eight to ten has answered the brief strongly on paper. A score of five to seven means the organiser should ask focused written follow up questions. A score below five suggests the proposal is still too generic to compare fairly.

Worked example for a principals conference

Consider a hypothetical conference for 180 Australian school principals. The organisers want an opening keynote that helps leaders choose three priorities for responsible AI implementation in 2027. The room includes government, Catholic and independent schools, and confidence ranges from cautious beginners to active adopters.

This brief points towards a speaker with current principal or system leadership evidence, rather than a general technology futurist. Matt Bower, Leon Furze, Priya Lakhani and Matthew Esterman each have current evidence touching school leadership, implementation, policy or governance, but their angles differ.

Bower would suit a research and assessment frame. Furze would suit a blend of policy, ethics and practical school application. Lakhani would add international system and education technology scale. Esterman would suit a whole school capability and coordinated practice frame.

The organiser should ask those candidates for a written response to the same brief, then use the ten point scorecard above. Comparing answers against one outcome is more reliable than comparing reputation, clips or topic titles in isolation. This example is illustrative and is not a report of a real booking or result.

A keynote is not always the right format

A school may not need an external AI keynote at all. If the goal is to change policy, redesign assessment or train staff to use a platform safely, a workshop, internal expert or multi session professional learning program may create more value than a single stage session.

The answer is not to force a keynote into the program. Use a keynote when the room needs shared language, urgency and a common frame. Use deeper learning when people must practise, make decisions or build real artefacts.

Know what public evidence cannot prove

This directory verifies public evidence, not private availability, current commercial terms, travel conditions or how well a speaker will handle a particular room. Those details can change and must be confirmed in writing with the speaker or authorised representative.

The page does not claim that every strong AI education speaker is included. It excludes people whose current keynote availability or Australian school relevance could not be verified through a primary source. It does not score stagecraft because public highlight clips are not enough to assess a full session.

Public evidence can establish that a person speaks on the topic and has served a relevant audience. It cannot guarantee fit, safety, customisation or impact for your event.

Take one practical next action

Write one sentence that begins, "Thirty days after this keynote, our education leaders will..." Finish it with a visible decision or behaviour. Send that same sentence, audience description, event format and constraints to three possible speakers, then compare their written responses with the scorecard above.

This directory uses a transparent evidence method

I am Jonno White, founder of Consult Clarity, and I compiled this directory for Australian school and system leaders who need an AI education speaker, not a general business futurist. In full transparency, I also speak on leadership, but I kept myself outside this directory because this page requires direct AI education expertise.

Criterion	What counted	What did not count
Current identity	A current owned profile or recognised primary credential source	An unsourced biography copied across agency pages
AI education relevance	A current topic, role, program or keynote tied to schools or education leaders	General AI expertise with no education evidence
Speaking evidence	Current keynote availability or a recent verified education keynote	A social label with no supporting session or service
Australian fit	Australian location or a recent verified Australian education engagement	A global claim with no evidence of serving this market
Reader access	A current contact, service or authorised profile route	A dead page or an invented booking path

The evidence pass was completed on 29 July 2026. Names appear alphabetically by surname, provider descriptions use neutral language, and the generated hero image is presentation rather than evidence.

For a correction, use the verified contact details on the About page. The closest existing site pages are the Australian and New Zealand AI speaker directory, the educational leadership speaker directory and the keynote speaker hiring guide.

Questions school event organisers often ask

Should a school choose an AI specialist or an education specialist?

Choose the person whose recent evidence covers both the AI issue and the audience's education context. A technical specialist may explain systems well but miss school governance or pedagogy. An education speaker may understand the room but lack current AI depth. The brief should require both unless the event deliberately needs only one.

Can one keynote replace staff professional learning?

A keynote can create shared language and help a school community see the same problem. It cannot usually build safe practice, redesign assessment or settle governance by itself. If the outcome requires people to practise a tool, write policy or change curriculum, add a workshop or a structured learning sequence.

What should an organiser confirm in writing?

Confirm the session outcome, audience, format, preparation, customisation, travel, recording, cancellation and any follow on work. Use the same brief for every candidate so each written response can be compared fairly.

How far ahead should an Australian school start?

Start once the date, audience, outcome and delivery format are clear. School staff days and conference dates can be fixed long before the content is final, so early written checks reduce the risk of building a shortlist around people who are not available.

Ask for a written proposal

I help school and association leaders turn a broad event idea into a clear written speaker brief and decision path. If that support would help, email jonno@consultclarity.org and ask for a written proposal.