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To mark the start of the new school year, 700 students gathered at UNESCO headquarters to discuss their future with experts in artificial intelligence.
Education is undergoing a profound structural change. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming the ways we learn. These changes are not confined to the classroom: they influence every aspect of students’ daily lives, from how they study and collaborate to how they form their opinions, express themselves, and participate in society. Faced with both opportunities and challenges, there's a critical need to continuously learn and reflect on these advancements.
Laicia Gagnier, Associate Project Officer in UNESCO’s Section for Technology and AI in Education, outlined UNESCO’s views on the evolution of AI, stressing the need to fundamentally rethink learning amidst societal change and rapid technological advancement. She emphasized that while digital tools offer unprecedented opportunities, technology alone will not solve today’s problems. Gagnier highlighted the importance of a new social contract for education, encouraging students to build a fairer and more inclusive world by cultivating deeply human qualities. She concluded that education must remain a fundamental right, not a privilege.
Hu Yue, Education Project Manager at the TECH4ALL Programme Office by Huawei, discussed the crucial need for effective use of digital tools, even as they offer vast opportunities and access to information. She detailed Huawei’s commitment to helping young people understand societal challenges and providing resources for learning, particularly through the TECH4ALL programme, launched in 2019. This initiative supports teachers and students in rural communities by providing training, equipment, and fostering an understanding of these tools. Hu Yue emphasized that artificial intelligence should act as a bridge to cross the digital divide, rather than exacerbating social inequality, stating that the future of education will be shaped by curious young people, visionary educators, and responsible communities, not by algorithms alone.
Margarida Romero, a researcher at the Institute for Research in Artificial Intelligence (IIIA-CSIC) and a university lecturer, initiated a discussion on the proper use of AI, noting that while many use it, few truly understand its mechanisms. She highlighted the importance of a willingness to learn, cautioning against the temptation to delegate effort and tasks to AI, which can hinder understanding and memorization. Romero argued that technology makes effort easier, not learning itself, and emphasized that AI amplifies human intention—being a tremendous asset for those willing to learn, but a risk if used to avoid effort. She discussed equality in relation to AI, viewing it as an excellent tool for students without special support, provided they invest effort. However, she warned that easy access could lead to excessive reliance, with negative consequences for youth, and stressed the environmental and cognitive costs of AI, advocating for its sparing use. Romero concluded by urging continuous learning, critical thinking, human collaboration, and verifying information sources, asserting that human reflection must always take precedence, and adults must set an example in resisting the easy way out by using AI for guidance, not answers.
Anne Cordier, University Professor of Information and Communication Sciences, explored learning through social media, recognizing its collective dimension in teaching reaction, communication, engagement, and community building. She distinguished between passively viewing information and actively retaining it, underscoring the necessity of validating learning with teachers, facilitators, and friends, a role sometimes filled by online influencers. Cordier advised vigilance regarding information reliability, recommending questioning authority and developing critical thinking, yet also trusting identified authorities. She addressed the challenge of concentration amidst a constant flow of information, noting that in-depth exploration is possible through scrolling if intention is clear, despite industrially organized algorithms. Cordier emphasized the privilege of diverse information access and social media's role in defending rights. She encouraged students to create ethical digital environments with secure data using alternative platforms like Wikipedia, Mastodon, and Peertube, and reminded them of regulations like the Digital Services Act and GDPR. Discussing teachers' use of AI, she suggested focusing on delegating tasks while ensuring teaching precedes AI, with good teachers maintaining control. Finally, Cordier acknowledged that AI reflects inherent biases from its training data, even without negative intent, reinforcing the need for human judgment in AI-generated outputs (e.g., medical diagnoses) to mitigate risks, and urged individuals to take control, make choices, and contribute to ethical web environments as the world reshapes.
Adeline Hulin, Head of Media and Information Literacy in UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector, concluded the discussion by highlighting the power of digital tools for self-expression and global information sharing, empowering young people to raise awareness for causes they care about. She noted the increasing awareness among youth regarding the dangers and risks of social media, emphasizing the critical importance of media literacy for content creators. Hulin encouraged students to take responsibility for their digital interactions and to utilize 'Safety by Design' mechanisms for inherently secure systems. Addressing student concerns about AI overtaking human roles, she reassured them that there is still time to shape its development, underscoring that governance and regulation are the most important factors. Hulin stressed the value of effort and curiosity over process and outcome, stating that true learning comes through effort. She warned against the vicious cycle of algorithms pushing information to elicit reactions, noting that misinformation travels rapidly, and advised students to actively seek out and create suitable algorithms. To combat addiction, she suggested reducing notifications, deleting apps, leaving devices in other rooms at night, and setting personal limits. Hulin concluded with a warning that AI records data and understands users well, urging young people to step back and critically evaluate the information and prompts they receive, emphasizing the importance of human reflection.
The UNESCO Campus concluded with students engaging with experts on critical topics such as identifying trustworthy sources, combating biases and stereotypes embedded in AI, and addressing the unequal access to digital tools. Discussions also touched upon mental health, often linked to a lack of genuine social connections in the digital age. The experts uniformly encouraged students to prioritize effort and thoughtful reflection in their use of these powerful technologies. This UNESCO Campus served as a significant reminder that new technologies and artificial intelligence are not merely tools, but represent immense power, responsibility, and opportunity that must be navigated with conscious human judgment and ethical considerations.