AI is transforming education globally through personalized learning and ethical considerations.

In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, artificial intelligence (AI) stands out as a transformative force across various sectors. Among its numerous applications, education emerges as one of the most promising yet challenging frontiers. AI in education aims to innovate teaching and learning practices, propelling progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4, which emphasizes inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities. By offering personalized and efficient educational pathways, AI acts as a ‘social resource multiplier,’ enhancing societal development. This technology holds the potential to address some of the most pressing challenges in education today.

UNESCO is actively supporting member states in harnessing AI’s potential to fulfill its Education 2030 Agenda, which envisions “AI for all.” In its publication, “Artificial Intelligence and Education: Guidance for Policy-makers,” UNESCO seeks to broaden the discourse to include AI’s role in tackling current disparities in access to knowledge and research, ensuring that AI does not exacerbate the technological divide within and between countries. The organization emphasizes that deploying AI technologies in education should focus on enhancing human capacities and safeguarding human rights, facilitating effective human-machine collaboration for sustainable development.

The UNESCO Education 2030 Agenda aligns AI in education with an inclusive framework, involving government participation. Recognizing the pivotal role of data in policy formulation, the agenda highlights the importance of human-machine collaboration while stressing privacy and security in AI tools. It advocates for integrating AI-related skills into school curricula and incorporating ethical considerations, particularly in technical and vocational education. The agenda emphasizes quality education for all students, regardless of their educational background, and supports learners with disabilities. Additionally, UNESCO’s agenda promotes the integration of AI skills into the Information and Communication Technologies Competency Framework, providing support to countries in training educators.

However, critics of AI in education raise valid concerns about the potential dehumanization of the educational process, data privacy issues, biases in AI-driven tools, ethical implications, and the credibility of AI-generated research. These concerns must be addressed to ensure AI’s use in education is ethical, responsible, and effective. In response, the UK hosted the first AI Summit in November 2023, with major companies like Meta, OpenAI, and Google participating to discuss the risks and misuses of AI. This summit was part of broader efforts to address state-level concerns about the responsible use of this technology.

A comparative overview of approaches in neighboring countries, China and India, showcases the adaptability of AI in diverse educational contexts. China has embraced AI in education through AI-powered classrooms, featuring facial recognition and curriculum transformation at its core, exemplifying AI’s transformative potential in national educational development. The country’s proactive measures, such as the 2017 “New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Technology Development Plan,” include popularizing AI science, implementing national intelligent education projects, introducing AI-related courses in primary and secondary schools, and gradually promoting programming education. Since September 2023, authorities in Guangzhou province have incorporated AI into the annual curriculum, with plans for further integration through neuromorphic computing.

India, on the other hand, utilizes AI through adaptive learning platforms, personalized courses, and intelligent tutoring systems. In 2015, the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh implemented an AI-based application to collect and analyze student data, identifying predictive patterns of potential dropouts. This data-driven approach revealed that thousands of students were at risk of leaving school in the 2018-2019 academic year. Such initiatives underscore AI’s potential as a catalyst for streamlining the education system and aiding institutions in making informed decisions. In 2022, three schools in Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Pune introduced AI in classroom activities, deploying 21 highly interactive “Eagle Robots” to assist teachers, provide education in 30 different languages, and conduct automated assessments.

Pakistan has also made significant strides in AI education through the President’s Initiative on Artificial Intelligence and Computing (PIAIC), training a new generation of AI practitioners to prepare the youth for the future job market. The country’s draft national AI policy, structured around four pillars—AI market enablement, AI awareness and readiness, building a progressive and trusted environment, and transformation and evolution—emphasizes personal data protection and AI’s societal impact. The policy advocates for teaching algorithms, data science, and AI within STEM education, proposing the formation of a STEM education expert working committee to review the National High-Tech Curriculum Draft.

To fully leverage AI in education, it is crucial to foster collaborative efforts between educators, policymakers, and AI developers, ensuring that AI enhances the educational experience. The potential for AI to revolutionize education is immense. A comprehensive “train the trainers” program, coupled with the necessary infrastructure, is essential to maximize AI’s application in education. Employing AI to develop tailored educational curricula can significantly enhance student competencies.

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Summit of 2003 highlighted the potential for fundamental changes in all aspects of life, including knowledge. Today, AI is poised to bring similar transformative shifts. With Silicon Valley at the epicenter of AI advancement, collaborating with institutions like MIT in the U.S., and Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems at the forefront of AI research, there is a pressing need for Pakistan to establish AI institutes of higher learning at both federal and provincial levels. The government should consider creating an AI City in Islamabad and AI universities across provinces to catch up with global advancements in AI education.