Tech

Macquarie University swaps in-person psychology classeswith AI chatbot for two subjects

University’s move is part of trend that critics within academia say will lead to further staff cuts and loss of ‘everything that makes the job worth doing’

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Luca Ittimani1 Sept 2026, 03:00 pmUpdated 10h ago1 min readTechGlobal

Global — Luca Ittimani

Macquarie University swaps in-person psychology classes with AI chatbot for two subjects

University’s move is part of trend that critics within academia say will lead to further staff cuts and loss of ‘everything that makes the job worth doing’

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An Australian university has swapped in-person classes with an AI chatbot, online quizzes and optional online tutorials in two subjects as institutions give the technology more teaching responsibilities.

Macquarie University’s “Virtual Peer” is part of each week’s learning in two mandatory psychology units, programmed to ask students questions and guide them through scenario-based exercises.