Dr. Darragh McCashin, Research Fellow at DCU’s Anti-Bullying Centre, was invited to speak at the 3rd UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, held in Bangkok, Thailand. The session brought together global experts and policymakers to examine AI in education through two interconnected lenses: ethics as a domain of research, policy and practical concern, addressing the tensions, risks, and responsibilities emerging from AI use in educational settings; and ethics as a critical capability, probing what it means to create and use AI ethically, and how such capacities can be meaningfully embedded within education systems.

As a member of the UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying and Chair of the Observatory on Cyberbullying, Cyberhate and Online Harassment, Dr. McCashin’s address discussed key dilemmas surrounding rights-by-design and ethics-by-design approaches, with a core message: “just because we can, doesn’t mean that we should.” He highlighted insights from emerging mental health research, the importance of co-design with young people, and the (digital) rights of the child.