Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has only recently become a focus of prominent discussion for many educational institutions and educators. Responses and reactions to the idea of access to GenAI and the uses of GenAI in education are varied – for example, there are those who advocate use (those who see its benefits and put use into practice), those who oppose use (those who recognise ethics and bias as major issues and ban use in practice), and those who believe that trialling use is important (those who see both potential benefits and challenges and are willing to trial use to assess the range of outcomes that might arise). This Special Issue is concerned with research that can shed light on the range of benefits and challenges that are highlighted in this emerging field—seeking to offer perspectives to support current and future research, practice and policy.