A top UK private school has appointed a new AI bot as its 'headteacher', as staff call for other schools to make similar changes. Located in West Sussex, Cottesmore School has worked with an artificial intelligence developer to create 'Abigail Bailey'.

The bot has been designed specifically to assist human headteacher Tom Rogerson. While the idea of an AI deputy head seems like an episode of Netflix's Black Mirror, Rogerson has insisted it's a great idea.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said Abigail gives him advice on various issues - including how to support staff members, helping pupils who have ADHD and writing school policies. "Sometimes having someone or something there to help you is a very calming influence," he added.

"It’s nice to think that someone who is unbelievably well trained is there to help you make decisions. It doesn’t mean you don’t ever also seek counsel from humans. Of course you do.

"It’s just very calming and reassuring knowing that you don’t have to call anybody up, bother someone, you don’t have to wait around for an answer. Abigail works in a similar way to ChatGPT - which answer questions and creates writing based on prompts."

Rogerson explained that Abigail Bailey has been specially designed to "have a wealth of knowledge in machine learning" and can analyse "vast amounts of data'. He continued: "Just having somebody or something on tap that can help you in this lonely place is very reassuring".

Cottesmore is a mixed day and boarding school for pupils aged four to 13 with fees of nearly £32,000 a year. Rogerson says he hopes state schools will begin to use the publicly available online system too.

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While Abigail will act as his deputy headteacher, Rogerson says that robots and technology will not replace his human staff members. "We are stepping into the future while preserving the core values of traditional education," he explained.

"The introduction of AI is not about replacing our dedicated educators but about augmenting their capabilities and ensuring our students receive the best education possible."

Cottesmore School has been approached for comment.