Online education Archives | Digital Watch Observatory

MIT releases largest Olympiad math dataset for AI and education

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, alongside partners at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and HUMAIN, have created MathNet, described as the largest curated dataset of Olympiad-level mathematics assembled to date.

The collection includes more than 30,000 expert-written problems and solutions from 47 countries, spanning 17 languages and multiple decades of competitions.

Unlike earlier datasets focused mainly on a small number of dominant regions, MathNet captures a broader global spread of mathematical traditions, including both text- and image-based problems sourced from official competition booklets. Researchers compiled and standardised thousands of pages of archived material, creating a structured resource intended for both AI evaluation and student training.

The dataset is also designed to test AI systems more rigorously. Early results show that leading models still struggle with complex reasoning, multilingual problems, and visual tasks, underlining uneven progress despite rapid advances in mathematical AI performance.

Beyond benchmarking, MathNet introduces tools for analysing problem similarity and improving retrieval-based learning. Early findings suggest that even advanced models often struggle to identify equivalent mathematical structures across different formats and languages.

Why does it matter?

MathNet highlights persistent gaps in how advanced AI systems reason under strict, competition-level conditions, while also creating a practical resource for education and student preparation. That dual role makes it both a stronger benchmark for mathematical reasoning and a useful tool for learners preparing for high-level mathematics competitions.

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Canada launches a major youth skills funding for digital economy transition

The Government of Canada has announced a C$23.8 million funding initiative to strengthen youth skills for the evolving digital economy through the Digital Skills for Youth programme.

The announcement, led by Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, forms part of a broader effort to prepare younger generations for technological change across the labour market.

The initiative will support training and work experience opportunities for post-secondary graduates, with a focus on emerging fields such as AI, cybersecurity, big data, and automation. By connecting young people with employers, the programme aims to narrow the gap between education and the practical digital skills needed in modern industries.

Funding will be distributed over two years and is open to a wide range of organisations, including for-profit and not-for-profit organisations, public institutions, Indigenous organisations, and provincial or territorial bodies. The programme also includes a flexibility measure for participants in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, where post-secondary education is not required.

The initiative builds on earlier rounds of the programme, which have already supported 6,900 youth internships across Canada since 2018.

Authorities say digital transformation is reshaping employment structures, making targeted skills development increasingly important. In that sense, the initiative is aimed not only at improving employability but also at helping prevent wider inequalities in access to technology-driven opportunities.

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Nigeria’s TETFund supports AI research and digital development in universities

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund has outlined efforts to support AI research and digital development in higher education institutions. The initiative focuses on strengthening research capacity and innovation.

According to the authority, funding is being directed towards projects that promote technological advancement, including AI-related studies and infrastructure. This aims to enhance academic output and relevance.

The authority also highlights the importance of building skills and supporting researchers to engage with emerging technologies. The approach is intended to improve competitiveness and knowledge creation.

Why does it matter?

The authority presents the initiative as part of broader efforts to advance research and innovation in the education sector in Nigeria.

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World Health Organization launches AI tool for reproductive health information

The World Health Organization and partners have launched ChatHRP, an AI-assisted tool designed to provide fast access to verified information on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Developed under the HRP research programme, the system is aimed at supporting evidence-based decision-making in a field where misinformation remains a persistent challenge.

ChatHRP uses advanced natural language processing and retrieval-based AI to deliver referenced answers drawn exclusively from WHO and HRP materials.

The tool is designed for policy-makers, researchers, health workers and civil society organisations, helping them quickly navigate complex scientific and policy information without fragmented sources.

Built for global accessibility, the platform includes multilingual functionality and low-bandwidth optimisation to ensure usability in resource-limited settings. Its structure prioritises accuracy and transparency, with responses linked directly to validated research and guidance that is regularly updated.

The beta phase focuses on professional use cases, where users can query topics such as maternal health, contraception and disease management.

Why does it matter?

The initiative directly improves access to reliable, evidence-based health information in a field where misinformation can influence policy and health outcomes. By centralising verified sources and reducing reliance on fragmented or unverified material, it supports faster, more consistent decision-making across healthcare, research and policy environments globally.

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OpenAI introduces ChatGPT for Clinicians and HealthBench Professional

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT for Clinicians, a version of ChatGPT designed to support clinical tasks such as documentation, medical research, evidence review, and care consults. The company says the product is now available free to verified physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, and pharmacists in the United States.

According to OpenAI, ChatGPT for Clinicians includes trusted clinical search with cited answers, reusable skills for repeatable workflows, deep research across medical literature, optional HIPAA support through a Business Associate Agreement for eligible accounts, and the ability for eligible evidence review to count towards continuing medical education credits. OpenAI also says conversations in the product are not used to train models.

The launch builds on OpenAI’s earlier ChatGPT for Healthcare offering for organisations. OpenAI says clinicians across US health systems are already using that product for administrative work such as medical research and documentation, and describes the free clinician version as the next step in expanding access.

Alongside the launch, OpenAI has introduced HealthBench Professional, which it describes as an open benchmark for real-world clinician chat tasks across care consultation, writing, documentation, and medical research. The company says the benchmark is based on physician-authored conversations, multi-stage physician adjudication, and filtered examples selected for quality, representativeness, and difficulty.

OpenAI also says physician advisers reviewed more than 700,000 model responses in health scenarios, and that before release, clinicians tested 6,924 conversations across clinical care, documentation, and research.

According to the company, physicians rated 99.6% of those responses as safe and accurate, while GPT-5.4 in the ChatGPT for Clinicians workspace outperformed base GPT-5.4, other OpenAI and external models, and human physicians on HealthBench Professional. OpenAI adds that the tool is designed to support clinicians with information rather than replace their judgement or expertise.

The company says the free version is currently limited to verified US clinicians, with plans to expand access to additional countries and groups over time. OpenAI also says it will begin by working with the Better Evidence Network to pilot access for verified clinicians outside the United States, subject to local regulations, and has released a Health Blueprint with recommendations for responsible AI integration in US healthcare.

Why does it matter?

The launch of ChatGPT for Clinicians reflects a shift from general-purpose AI use in healthcare towards clinician-specific products tied to workflow, benchmarking, and compliance. It also shows that competition in medical AI is increasingly centred not only on model capability, but on safety evaluation, evidence retrieval, privacy controls, and integration into real clinical practice.

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UNESCO highlights barriers facing students with disabilities in education systems

Efforts to expand inclusive education in Latin America continue to face structural challenges, as new findings presented by UNESCO highlight persistent gaps in data and policy implementation.

During a regional congress in Paraguay, experts stressed that the lack of reliable and comparable data on students with disabilities remains a major barrier to designing effective education systems. UNESCO presents stronger data systems as essential to making inequalities visible and improving public decision-making.

The analysis draws on the Regional Educational Information System on Students with Disabilities, known as SIRIED, which aims to strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the region through comparable and regularly updated information.

While progress has been recorded in access to education, particularly at the primary level, participation remains uneven. Attendance is significantly lower in early childhood education and declines again in secondary schooling, reflecting systemic issues such as late identification of disabilities and insufficient support mechanisms.

Students with disabilities are more likely to repeat grades, enrol at an older age, and leave school early than their peers. UNESCO’s findings suggest that dropout remains a persistent problem, especially at higher levels of education. Although many students are enrolled in mainstream schools, institutions often lack the infrastructure, training, and resources needed to ensure full inclusion.

The findings also point to gender disparities, with girls facing greater obstacles in access, retention, and progression. Despite improvements in legal frameworks recognising inclusive education as a right, implementation remains uneven across countries.

UNESCO emphasises that strengthening data systems such as SIRIED is essential not only to revealing inequalities, but also to supporting policies capable of delivering meaningful educational inclusion.

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UNESCO launches regional observatory on AI in education in Latin America and the Caribbean

UNESCO has launched a new regional platform on AI in education for Latin America and the Caribbean, aiming to help governments respond to both a deep learning crisis and the rapid spread of AI tools in schools and universities.

Called the Observatory on Artificial Intelligence in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean, the initiative was launched on 14 April in Santiago, Chile, during the 2026 Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.

UNESCO presents the Observatory as the first regional platform anchored in the UN system dedicated to AI in education in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is designed as a multistakeholder mechanism bringing together the region’s 33 ministries of education, along with universities, research centres, teachers, and strategic partners, to generate evidence, strengthen capacities, and support public decision-making on how AI should be used in education.

The initiative is being framed as a response to two pressures at once. UNESCO says the region faces a serious learning crisis, while AI tools are spreading rapidly through classrooms and education systems, with uneven guidance and limited institutional preparedness. In that context, the Observatory is meant to support more context-specific policy development, stronger teacher training, and classroom-tested innovation within ethical frameworks, rather than leaving AI adoption to fragmented local experimentation.

That gives the launch a significance beyond a standard education technology initiative. The core argument is not simply that AI should be introduced into schools, but that governments need a shared regional capacity to shape its use. UNESCO sums that up with a simple principle: AI should not govern education; education should govern AI.

The Observatory is being developed with a broad coalition of regional and international partners, including the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile’s National Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the Regional Centre for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, ECLAC, the Ceibal Foundation, Fundación Santillana, Tecnológico de Monterrey, ProFuturo, the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile, and the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence. Its advisory council also includes the OECD, the Organisation of Ibero-American States, experts from Harvard University, and the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI.

Why does it matter?

The story shows UNESCO moving from broad principles on ethical AI to a more concrete regional governance model. Rather than issuing another general call for responsible AI in education, it is trying to build an institutional platform that can connect evidence, policy, teacher capacity, and public oversight across Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Health queries dominate AI chatbot use, study finds

A large-scale study analysing more than 500,000 health-related conversations with Microsoft Copilot offers a detailed look at how people are using general-purpose AI chatbots for medical information, symptom questions, and healthcare navigation.

Published in Nature Health, the study suggests that conversational AI is increasingly being used as an early point of contact for health concerns outside formal clinical settings.

The largest share of conversations fell into the health information and education category, accounting for 40.7% of the sample. Users frequently asked about symptoms, conditions, nutrition, treatments, and medicines, often in ways that reflected personal concerns rather than detached information-seeking.

The study found that 18.8% of conversations involved users discussing their own health conditions, while roughly one in seven personal health queries concerned someone else, such as a child, partner, or parent.

Patterns of use also varied by device and time of day. Mobile users were more likely to ask personal and emotionally sensitive questions, particularly about symptoms and well-being, with activity rising in the evening and overnight.

Desktop use, by contrast, was more closely associated with work, study, and administrative tasks, including research, documentation, and medical paperwork during office hours.

The study also points to growing use of AI for practical healthcare navigation. Beyond questions about symptoms or conditions, users turned to Copilot for help with appointments, provider access, paperwork, and understanding parts of the healthcare system that can be difficult to navigate. That suggests people are not using chatbots only for medical curiosity, but also to manage the bureaucratic and logistical side of care.

The broader significance of the findings lies in what they reveal about the changing role of conversational AI in everyday health decision-making. General-purpose chatbots are not replacing clinicians, but they are increasingly occupying the space before, between, and around formal care, where people seek quick explanations, reassurance, and guidance.

That makes questions of accuracy, safety, and health literacy more important, especially when users may act on AI-generated responses without professional context or oversight.

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Study suggests AI reliance may weaken short-term problem-solving

A recent study by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Oxford, MIT, and UCLA suggests that reliance on AI for basic tasks may temporarily weaken cognitive performance.

Participants who used AI tools to complete simple maths and reading exercises initially performed better than those working without assistance. However, once the technology was removed, their accuracy declined, and they were less likely to persist with the tasks.

The findings suggest that even brief exposure to AI support can reduce a person’s willingness to engage in sustained problem-solving, which remains essential to learning and skill development.

Researchers found that participants became more likely to abandon tasks and less able to complete them independently after relying on AI assistance.

The results add to wider concerns about how AI may be reshaping learning habits and intellectual development. Related research from MIT has described a phenomenon called ‘cognitive debt’, in which heavy reliance on AI tools may weaken retention, understanding, and independent reasoning over time.

Taken together, the studies point to a growing tension in AI design. While such tools can improve speed and convenience, they may also reduce the mental effort needed to build lasting cognitive skills. That suggests AI systems may need to be designed to support learning without replacing independent thought altogether.

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UK invests in technical colleges to address skills shortages and support industry growth

The UK Government has announced the expansion of Technical Excellence Colleges, with 19 new institutions aimed at strengthening high-level technical education across key sectors.

Backed by £175 million in public funding, the initiative targets industries such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defence and digital technologies.

The policy responds to projected labour shortages, with estimates indicating demand for hundreds of thousands of additional skilled workers by 2030.

By aligning training provision with regional economic needs, the colleges are designed to support local labour markets while contributing to national industrial priorities.

An initiative that forms part of a broader strategy to elevate technical education alongside university pathways, expanding access to higher-level learning and improving workforce readiness.

It also emphasises collaboration between institutions, with designated colleges expected to share expertise and raise standards across the system.

By strengthening skills pipelines and supporting sector-specific training, the programme in the UK aims to enhance economic resilience and ensure that workforce development keeps pace with technological and industrial change.

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