Online education

Microsoft report finds AI use growing across schools

Microsoft has released the third edition of its AI in Education Report, finding that AI adoption continues to grow across schools while educators and students seek more training and practical guidance for responsible use.

The report found that AI is already widely used for school-related activities, with 92% of students and education leaders and 88% of educators reporting that they use AI. More than half of education leaders said their institutions are already implementing or scaling AI initiatives, while most respondents reported increased AI use over the past year. More than half of education leaders said their institutions are already implementing or scaling AI, while most respondents reported increased AI use over the past year.

The report identifies three priorities for schools: integrating AI into teaching and administrative operations, expanding ongoing AI skills training and providing clearer guidance for responsible classroom use. Although most respondents considered AI literacy important, many educators and students said they had not received formal training.

Alongside the report, Microsoft announced new AI-powered features for Microsoft 365 Education, including lesson-planning tools, classroom AI guidance, learning management capabilities and study assistants designed to support critical thinking rather than replace student work. Microsoft also expanded its professional development programmes through Elevate for Educators and introduced a new AI literacy credential developed in partnership with ISTE + ASCD.

Why does it matter?

The report suggests that AI is becoming a routine part of teaching and learning, shifting the conversation from whether schools should adopt AI to how they can use it responsibly and effectively. The findings indicate that demand for AI literacy, teacher training and practical classroom guidance is growing alongside adoption.

Microsoft’s new education tools also reflect a broader trend across the education technology sector, where AI is increasingly being integrated into lesson planning, administrative workflows and personalised learning. As AI becomes more embedded in schools, ensuring that educators and students have the skills to use these tools critically and responsibly is likely to become a key priority for education systems.

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OpenAI upgrades GPT-5.5 Instant conversation skills

OpenAI has updated GPT-5.5 Instant to make ChatGPT conversations more natural, useful and responsive to user intent.

According to the company’s release notes, the update is designed to improve conversational quality, especially when users are making decisions, asking for advice, planning, researching options or shopping.

OpenAI said GPT-5.5 Instant is now better at identifying the underlying goal behind a question and carrying context across multiple turns. The company also said the model follows complex instructions more reliably, including requests with several constraints or requirements.

The update is intended to make the model more adaptive during ongoing conversations. When users add constraints or push back on an answer, GPT-5.5 Instant should adjust its approach more effectively, rather than simply repeating its original response.

The change reflects a wider shift in consumer AI systems from one-off answer generation towards more context-aware and interactive assistance.

Why does it matter?

The update shows how competition in AI assistants is moving beyond raw accuracy and benchmark performance towards conversational quality. For everyday users, the ability to understand intent, track context, follow multiple constraints and respond well to feedback can determine whether AI tools feel genuinely useful in education, work, shopping, planning and customer support.

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TEQSA backs GenAI learning reform in Australia

Australia’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency has published a paper on how higher education institutions can assure quality learning in a future shaped by generative AI.

The paper, ‘Assuring quality learning in a GenAI-integrated future: The role of adaptive capabilities’, argues that universities need to rethink how they define, assess and evidence student learning as generative AI becomes embedded in education.

The authors say generative AI and automated decision-making systems challenge traditional approaches to academic integrity and assessment. Rather than focusing only on securing final submissions, institutions should clarify what students need to learn in AI-integrated environments and how that learning can be demonstrated.

The paper identifies adaptive capabilities as central to graduate learning. These include digital literacy, distributed cognition, hybrid metacognition and life-long learning, grounded in disciplinary knowledge and supported by student agency and regulation.

The authors warn that narrow AI literacy may not be enough, as operational skills linked to current tools can quickly become outdated. Adaptive capabilities can help students evaluate new technologies, use AI ethically and continue learning as systems evolve.

The paper also highlights risks linked to generative AI, including overreliance on AI-generated explanations, reduced effortful learning and excessive cognitive offloading. It says higher education should preserve practices that support deeper learning, such as retrieval practice, spaced revision and generating answers before receiving explanations.

Assessment reform is a major theme. The paper calls for greater attention to evidence of learning processes rather than only to final products. Possible approaches include portfolios, learning journey documentation, reflective tasks, trace data and structured self-assessments.

TEQSA says the paper is not prescriptive and does not form part of its formal guidance notes. Instead, it is intended to support institutional thinking about how quality assurance may need to change as generative AI becomes a normal part of higher education.

Why does it matter?

Generative AI is weakening the reliability of product-based assessment, especially when final essays, reports, or problem solutions are produced or heavily shaped by AI tools. TEQSA’s focus on adaptive capabilities points towards a different quality assurance model: one that values student judgement, process evidence, ethical AI use and deep disciplinary understanding. That matters for universities because they will increasingly need to prove not only that students produced work, but that they learned, reasoned and exercised agency while using AI.

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UNESCO launches media literacy guide for families in the digital age

UNESCO has launched a global media literacy guide to help parents, caregivers, and families support children’s safe, informed and critical engagement with digital environments.

The guide, titled Growing Up in a Connected World: A Family Guide for the Digital Age, was launched at UNESCO Headquarters and online, attracting around 700 participants. It is available in English, French, and Spanish.

Developed by UNESCO in partnership with the French Media and Information Literacy Centre, CLEMI / Réseau Canopé, the guide is intended to equip families with media and information literacy skills to help guide children’s digital engagement.

UNESCO said the initiative comes amid growing global debate over whether younger users’ access to social media should be restricted or, in some cases, prohibited altogether. The organisation said such debates reflect broader concerns about safety, wellbeing and exposure to harmful content, but also underline the need to help young people navigate digital spaces safely, critically, and confidently.

The guide addresses both opportunities and risks linked to digital technologies. UNESCO said digital technologies can expand access to knowledge, participation and connection, but can also expose children to cyberbullying, harmful content, misinformation, and hate speech.

Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, said, ‘UNESCO promotes robust, evidence-based Media and Information Literacy policies. There is progress: UNESCO’s 2025 global survey shows that 171 countries now have a MIL policy framework. However, implementation remains uneven, with fewer than half of countries integrating media and information literacy into school curricula. As a result, too many children still receive no structured support at all. And when schools cannot fill this gap, the responsibility falls on families.’

Samuel Vitel, Director General of Réseau Canopé, said, ‘It is often through dialogue with parents that children learn to question information, compare different perspectives, and develop their critical thinking skills. This is why parents need support, just as we already provide it to teachers and to all education stakeholders.’

UNESCO said families are increasingly at the centre of today’s information ecosystems as digital and political transformations reshape society. The organisation said regulatory approaches such as safety by design remain important, but are not sufficient on their own.

The guide is designed to place practical tools directly in the hands of parents and caregivers. UNESCO said the aim is to support informed decision-making, strengthen autonomy within family life, and help families guide digital practices at home.

Mariya Gabriel, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, said, ‘This new Guide serves as a common foundation of knowledge that every parent should be able to access. Its publication today is, therefore, not the end of our work, but the beginning.’

UNESCO also highlighted the growing influence of AI on information consumption and communication practices. Citing research from the Reuters Institute, it said 15% of young adults aged 18 to 24 use AI weekly to access news, compared with 3% of older users.

The organisation called on regulators, media organisations, experts, and other stakeholders to help empower parents, children, and young people to navigate information ecosystems critically and confidently.

UNESCO said media and information literacy remains one of its core global programmes. Through these initiatives, UNESCO and its partners aim to strengthen critical thinking skills and digital competencies in response to rapid technological change.

Why does it matter?

The guide matters because debates over children’s online safety are moving beyond restrictions and platform rules alone. UNESCO’s approach places media literacy at the centre of child protection, arguing that young people also need support to understand information, assess risks, and navigate digital spaces critically.

It also highlights the role of families in digital governance. Where schools have not yet integrated media and information literacy into curricula, parents and caregivers often become the first line of support against misinformation, harmful content, cyberbullying, and AI-shaped information environments.

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OECD report highlights AI’s growing role in workforce training

AI is beginning to reshape how vocational education and training (VET) systems design qualifications, update curricula and respond to rapidly changing labour market demands, according to a new OECD report.

As economies undergo digital and green transitions, education authorities face growing pressure to ensure training programmes remain aligned with evolving workforce needs.

The report finds that AI is already being used across parts of the vocational education ecosystem to analyse labour market trends, identify emerging skills gaps, map competencies and support curriculum development.

Countries, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, Estonia and Germany, have launched pilot initiatives using AI tools to accelerate and improve qualification design and revision processes.

AI is also being explored as a mechanism for supporting modular learning pathways and micro-credentials in sectors experiencing rapid technological change.

Despite growing interest, the OECD stresses that AI adoption remains uneven and largely experimental. Most systems continue to rely on traditional governance structures involving employers, industry representatives, educators and public authorities.

Rather than replacing existing governance processes, AI is currently being used to support evidence gathering, stakeholder consultations and administrative functions. The organisation notes that countries with strong digital infrastructures and advanced labour market intelligence systems are better positioned to move from isolated pilots to broader implementation.

The report also warns that broader AI adoption could introduce new risks for vocational education systems. Concerns include biased outputs, poor data quality, reduced transparency, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the possibility of weakening collaborative decision-making.

To address these challenges, the OECD argues that AI deployment must remain human-centred and operate within robust governance frameworks. Maintaining accountability, ensuring stakeholder participation and protecting data integrity will be critical as governments increasingly integrate AI into education and workforce development policies.

Why does it matter?

Vocational education systems play a critical role in preparing workers for changing labour markets. As digitalisation, automation and the green transition reshape skills demand, governments are looking for ways to update qualifications and training programmes more quickly. The OECD report suggests that AI could help education systems identify emerging workforce needs, improve labour market intelligence and make curriculum development more responsive.

At the same time, the report highlights that technological innovation alone is unlikely to solve skills challenges. The effectiveness of AI in vocational education will depend on strong governance, reliable data, stakeholder participation and human oversight. How governments balance efficiency gains with transparency, accountability and trust could shape the future of workforce development and lifelong learning policies.

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Norway restricts generative AI use in primary schools

Norway is introducing new national guidance that significantly restricts the use of generative AI in primary education as part of a broader effort to strengthen foundational learning outcomes. From the upcoming school year, pupils in grades 1–7 will generally not be permitted to use generative AI tools in their schoolwork.

The approach reflects concerns over declining foundational skills, with international assessments indicating a drop in reading and numeracy levels among Norwegian students. Policymakers have linked the decision to evidence suggesting that early and uncritical reliance on generative AI could interfere with the development of essential literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills.

In secondary education, AI will be introduced gradually, with schools expected to ensure that teachers have the necessary skills and training before students begin using the technology. Full integration is expected at the upper secondary level, where AI is seen as part of preparation for further education and the labour market.

Authorities emphasised that AI may still be used in specific circumstances, particularly to support students with individual learning needs or those requiring tailored educational assistance. The policy will be reviewed and adjusted over time, with a focus on strengthening teacher training and ensuring responsible use of the technology across the education system.

Why does it matter?

The decision reflects a growing international debate over the role of generative AI in education. While AI tools can support learning, creativity and personalised instruction, educators and policymakers are increasingly concerned that early dependence on such technologies could weaken the development of core skills that students need before they can use AI critically and effectively.

Norway’s approach also highlights a broader shift towards phased AI adoption in schools. Rather than focusing solely on access to technology, the policy places teacher competence, pedagogical goals and student development at the centre of implementation. The outcome may influence similar discussions in other countries seeking to balance digital innovation with educational quality and learning outcomes.

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EU and OECD launch AI literacy framework for schools

The European Commission and the OECD have presented a new AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education, aimed at helping schools prepare learners for a world increasingly shaped by AI technologies.

The AI Literacy Framework was unveiled on 18 June during the European Digital Education Hub flagship event in Brussels. The event, titled ‘Collaborate for Impact: Advancing European Digital Education and Skills’, brought together policymakers, educators, experts, and stakeholders from across Europe.

Developed with support from international experts, including CodeAI, the framework provides a common reference point for integrating AI literacy across education systems. It is accompanied by practical classroom examples for primary and secondary levels to help educators translate AI literacy into learning experiences.

The framework defines AI literacy as the combination of technical knowledge, durable skills and future-ready attitudes needed to participate effectively in a world influenced by AI. It aims to help learners engage with, create with, manage, and shape AI while critically evaluating its benefits, risks, and ethical implications.

The European Commission said AI is reshaping how people learn, work, communicate, and make decisions. It said education systems need to prepare young people to navigate AI in daily life and use it responsibly.

The framework defines AI literacy as the combination of technical knowledge, durable skills and future-ready attitudes needed to participate effectively in a world influenced by AI.

According to the Commission, 68% of teenagers already use AI tools, yet many education systems still lack structured approaches for integrating AI into teaching and learning. Addressing these barriers could help learners use AI more creatively, ethically, and effectively.

The framework is intended for teachers, education leaders, policymakers, and learning designers. It offers guidance on curriculum integration, school-level AI literacy initiatives, policy development, and the design of educational content and teacher training materials.

The framework is structured around four dimensions that describe how learners engage with, create with, manage, and shape AI. It also includes 19 competences organised around knowledge, skills, and attitudes, along with learner expectations, learning scenarios, and classroom examples.

The Commission said the framework supports the EU’s ambition to deliver high-quality, inclusive, and future-oriented digital education. It also contributes to the Digital Education Action Plan and the Union of Skills by helping learners develop competences for a digital and AI-driven society.

The framework complements several European initiatives and policy priorities, including the PISA 2029 Media and AI Literacy assessment, the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027, updated ethical guidelines for educators on AI use, the AI Act, and the European Digital Competence Framework.

Why does it matter?

AI is rapidly becoming a foundational digital skill, comparable to information literacy or internet literacy. As AI tools become increasingly integrated into education, work and everyday life, schools face growing pressure to help students understand not only how to use these technologies, but also how to evaluate their outputs, recognise their limitations and engage with them responsibly.

The framework also represents an important step towards harmonising AI education across Europe. By providing common competences, classroom examples and guidance for educators, it creates a bridge between AI policy objectives and practical teaching. This could help ensure that future generations develop the skills needed to participate in an AI-driven society while supporting broader European goals related to digital skills, innovation and trustworthy AI.

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UNESCO assessment supports ethical AI roadmap in El Salvador

El Salvador has advanced its national AI agenda following the presentation of a Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) report developed by UNESCO in cooperation with the National Artificial Intelligence Agency (ANIA). The initiative brings together government institutions, international organisations, academia and the private sector to assess the country’s preparedness for ethical, inclusive and sustainable AI development.

The assessment is grounded in the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which establishes principles for safe and responsible AI deployment. According to the assessment, El Salvador’s legal and institutional framework, including measures related to data protection, cybersecurity and AI governance, has strengthened its position in regional AI readiness indicators.

The report highlights AI deployments already being used in public services, including digital health diagnostics, automated legal processes and large-scale digitisation of government records. Education systems are also integrating AI tools to expand access to learning, while projected economic gains suggest significant growth potential if ethical adoption continues to scale.

Alongside the findings, authorities outlined priorities aimed at reducing inequalities in access to technology, expanding participation in STEM education and ensuring that AI-related benefits reach both urban and rural communities.

The new National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2026 sets out these priorities as part of a broader human-centred development model.

Why does it matter?

The initiative positions El Salvador as a test case for how emerging economies can align rapid AI adoption with structured governance and ethical safeguards. By embedding human-centred principles into national strategy and law, the country aims to prevent AI-driven gains from widening social or geographic inequalities while strengthening long-term digital readiness.

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OECD publishes AI literacy framework for schools

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a new report, ‘Empowering Learners for the Age of AI‘, outlining an AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education.

According to the OECD, AI is becoming increasingly embedded in everyday digital life and is influencing civic, professional and social outcomes. The organisation argues that education systems must equip young people with the knowledge and skills needed to understand, evaluate and use AI responsibly.

The report defines AI literacy as a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable learners to understand how AI systems function, critically evaluate their outputs and use them ethically, responsibly and creatively.

The OECD said the framework outlines learning outcomes for primary and secondary students and is intended to support policymakers, educators, schools and families in fostering AI literacy both inside and outside the classroom. The report was published on 18 June 2026.

Why does it matter?

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into education, work, public services and everyday life, AI literacy is emerging as a foundational skill alongside traditional digital literacy. Understanding how AI systems operate, where their limitations lie and how their outputs should be evaluated will be important for informed participation in society and the economy.

The OECD framework also reflects a broader policy shift from focusing solely on access to technology toward developing the skills needed to use AI responsibly and critically. By providing a common reference point for educators and policymakers, the framework could help shape future curricula, teacher training programmes and national education strategies aimed at preparing students for an AI-enabled world.

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UNESCO backs new initiative against online hate speech

Organisations and experts in Kyrgyzstan have launched the country’s first multistakeholder coalition focused on online harmful content and content moderation, with support from UNESCO and the European Union.

The Aikyn Sanarip coalition was launched in Bishkek on 17 June, ahead of the UN International Day for Countering Hate Speech. It brings together civil society, media representatives, government bodies, academics, international organisations and bloggers.

UNESCO said the coalition will provide a platform for dialogue on freedom of expression, digital rights, online safety and greater accountability from digital platforms.

The launch also featured the first national study on freedom of expression and content moderation in Kyrgyzstan. The research examines how hate speech spreads across digital platforms, how content is moderated in Kyrgyz-language digital spaces, and where legal and institutional gaps remain.

UNESCO said users in Kyrgyzstan increasingly encounter hate speech, disinformation and online harassment. At the same time, the country lacks a clear legal definition of hate speech, and mechanisms for addressing harmful content remain fragmented.

The European Union supported the forum under UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace project, which promotes multistakeholder responses to harmful online content while protecting freedom of expression.

Why does it matter?

The launch shows how online hate speech and harmful content are becoming governance issues beyond major platform markets. Kyrgyzstan’s new coalition links digital rights, online safety and platform accountability, while also highlighting a difficult balance: tackling hate speech and disinformation without undermining freedom of expression. The initiative may offer a model for multistakeholder responses in countries where legal frameworks and platform moderation practices remain underdeveloped.

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