Brussels – Enable those working in education to understand the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and to analyse how European education systems are tackling the digital transformation, because “digital technologies, including generative artificial intelligence, are rapidly transforming the way we live, work and learn,” said the European Commissioner for Culture, Roxana Mînzatu, today (22 September), after the European Commission published two studies on the implications of AI and digital technologies in European schools.
The first report, “Friend or foe? Evidence from the use of generative artificial intelligence in learning and teaching“, aims to establish institutional guidelines to ensure that teachers receive “initial and continuing professional development” and make full use of the benefits offered by AI. The report is based on a number of premises: only 29.7 per cent of EU teachers have taken part in continuing professional development on the use of AI in teaching, while 53 per cent have not taken part “nor reported a strong need to do so.” The remaining 22 per cent stated that they had undertaken such training, but did not feel a strong need to do so.
The second, “Digital education at school in Europe 2026: bridging gaps in access, teaching and learning”, highlights the diversity that persists across the various European school systems, where “disparities in terms of access at individual school level, technical support and digital environments” are evident. With regard to artificial intelligence, the study highlights that almost two-thirds of education systems have developed strategies, guidelines or other policy frameworks concerning AI. In line with rapid technological progress, “the national curricula of around one-third of education systems – predominantly in Western and Southern Europe – include AI-related skills.”
According to an announcement by the government on its official channels, the results will provide useful input for the forthcoming education package, which will focus on “basic skills, teachers and educators, as well as infrastructure for digital education.” This will ensure that digital technology is “at the service of citizens, and we must ensure that these tools provide tangible support for learning,” concluded Mînzatu.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
