UNESCO advocates for ethical and responsible integration of AI in education
Since 2018, UNESCO has made the ethics of artificial intelligence a priority, leading to the first adoption of artificial intelligence by its member states. international normative framework In this field.
To support the integration of these technologies, which are already abundantly implemented in education, UNESCO has launched the first Guidance on generative artificial intelligence in education and research September 2023, and two A.I. competency framework for student and teacher In 2024, it addresses both the opportunities and risks of AI and proposes, among other things, a 13-year age limit for the use of generative AI by students.
Since 2024, UNESCO has held training courses on the AI Competency Framework in more than 100 countries, reaching thousands of educators and decision makers. The organization has also directly supported 58 countries in developing digital and AI skills frameworks, school curricula, and certification training programs, with the clear goal of developing young talent who are aware of AI’s potential but also its biases and limitations.
Awarded the UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Award for the use of information and communication technology in education
It was established in 2005 with the support of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Awarded the UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Award for the use of information and communication technology in education Rewards individuals and organizations that promote the creative and responsible use of technology to enhance teaching and learning. Since 2005, the award has been awarded to 34 projects from 21 countries selected by an international jury of five eminent experts. Each project received $25,000.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the award, whose theme this year is “Preparing learners and teachers for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence,” four initiatives were specially recognized at a ceremony at the University of Bahrain attended by the UNESCO Director-General and the GCC Education Ministers.
Developed as part of the Erasmus+ SteamCity initiative, AI4InclusiveEducation provides AI education from a civic and interdisciplinary perspective to young people aged 10 to 18 from disadvantaged communities. The program focuses on regional issues ranging from governance to mobility, with specific topics such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and misinformation. The initiative, implemented by La Scientothèque, has already benefited more than 6,000 learners and 300 teachers through open-access learning modules.
Piauí Inteligência Artificial, which aims to incorporate AI into the public school curriculum in Brazil’s Piauí state and make it a compulsory subject from grade 9 to post-secondary, offers a three-year learning path that integrates AI ethics into all modules, combines digital and offline activities, and makes them accessible even in low-resource settings. The project, implemented by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in collaboration with the Piauí State Ministry of Education, benefits more than 90,000 students in 540 public schools each year and has already trained more than 680 teachers.
Developed by Information Technology Institute, Mahara-Tech is Egypt’s national digital education platform. Aimed at strengthening digital skills in Arabic-speaking countries, the platform offers free and comprehensive AI training in Arabic. The academy currently has more than 600,000 users across the region, including disadvantaged and isolated communities, and has supported nearly 2 million learning journeys. Ethical principles such as fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy are integrated throughout the platform’s content.
Reaching more than 1.2 million young people in 24 countries, Experience AI supports global access to AI education for 11-14 year olds and helps them understand how technologies such as search engines, social media algorithms, and chatbots impact their daily lives. The project, co-developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind, provides open source tools and a “train the trainer” model that already supports more than 7,700 teachers. This initiative enables young people to make informed choices about the use of AI by encouraging critical thinking and ethical awareness.
