AI in education: Council calls for human-centred approach
At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming education systems across Europe, bringing both challenges and opportunities, the Council is pushing for teachers to remain at the heart of the learning process.
Teachers are not just users of AI – they are guides, mentors and critical thinkers who help students navigate an increasingly complex digital world. Supporting them with the right training, tools and safeguards is essential to making AI a success in education.
Dr Athena Michaelidou, Minister for Education, Sport and Youth, Republic of Cyprus
The conclusions approved by the Council call for an ethical, safe and human-centred approach to AI in education that focuses on strengthening digital skills and AI literacy, guaranteeing inclusion and fairness, empowering teachers, and supporting teachers’ and learners’ well-being. This is the first time that the relationship between AI and teaching has been discussed in the field of education policy.
The Council calls on national governments to strengthen teachers’ AI and digital skills, promote the development and use of education-specific AI tools, address unequal access to digital resources, and ensure AI enhances rather than undermines autonomy and sustainable working conditions for teachers.
Challenges and opportunities
The Council acknowledges that AI is rapidly reshaping education systems and has the potential to influence how teaching and learning are organised, how information is accessed, and how schools manage administrative tasks.
In terms of benefits, AI can enhance teaching and learning by supporting more inclusive approaches, improving accessibility for disadvantaged learners, and enabling more individualised teaching and assessment methods. It can also improve administrative efficiency, freeing up more time for teaching and learning.
Nevertheless, the Council’s conclusions also raise concerns about reduced autonomy, over-reliance on technology, and risks relating to aspects such as bias, misinformation and data protection. The use of AI could also exacerbate inequalities and digital divides, affect learners’ concentration and skill acquisition, and have broader societal and environmental implications.
The role of teachers in the digital era
Teachers play a central role in harnessing AI’s potential in the classroom, including by fostering responsible digital citizenship and helping learners reflect on the societal, environmental and ethical implications of AI tools. They are also key to critically assessing AI outputs and guiding learners in understanding its limitations and biases.
In its conclusions, the Council therefore argues that teachers should have an opportunity to contribute to the design and evaluation of AI tools, in line with an approach based on digital humanism that ensures technology supports human agency and democratic values.
Supporting teachers in the AI transition
In order to harness the benefits of AI in education while also ensuring that teachers remain at the heart of the learning experience, the Council calls on national governments to:
- help boost teachers’ digital and AI-related skills, including by integrating AI literacy into teacher training
- promote the use of AI tools that add clear pedagogical value while also preserving teachers’ autonomy and the well-being of learners
- encourage the development of education-specific AI tools as a way to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy, alongside clear guidance on data protection, accountability and risk awareness
- address inequalities in access to AI tools and digital resources, and ensure systems are accessible and suitable for all learners
- ensure sustainable working conditions for teachers by considering the impact of AI on workload, assessment and administrative tasks
The Council notes that the Commission can also support teachers in the era of AI, including by strengthening cooperation with international organisations such as the Council of Europe, facilitating research and evidence-sharing, providing guidance on the ethical use of AI, and involving teachers in shaping EU-level initiatives.
Likewise, the Commission can work with member states to improve capacity-building, encourage peer-to-peer learning and the exchange of good practices, and promote professional learning resources and collaborative initiatives at both national and EU level.