Twenty-five EU countries, joined by Norway and Iceland, recently signed a declaration supporting tougher child protection rules online. The plan calls for a digital age of majority, potentially restricting under-15s or under-16s from joining social platforms.
France and Denmark back full bans for children below 15, while others, prefer verified parental consent. Some nations argue parents should retain primary responsibility, with the state setting only basic safeguards.
Brussels faces pressure to propose EU-wide legislation, but several capitals insist decisions should stay national. Estonia and Belgium declined to sign the declaration, warning that new bans risk overreach and calling instead for digital education.
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Google has launched Google Skills, a platform helping individuals and organisations build AI and digital expertise. The platform offers nearly 3,000 courses, labs, and credentials from Google Cloud, DeepMind, Grow with Google, and Google for Education in one central hub.
Learners can gain practical experience through hands-on labs, skill badges, certificates, and certifications. Google Skills covers a wide range of learning paths- from AI Essentials and large language model research to quick 10-minute AI Boost Bites.
Gamified features, such as progress streaks and achievements, encourage engagement, while Cloud customers can personalise training for their teams with leaderboards and advanced reporting.
Google Skills also connects learners to employment opportunities. A hiring consortium of over 150 companies, including Jack Henry, uses the platform to fast-track qualified candidates through skills-based hiring initiatives.
No-cost options are available for individuals, higher education institutions, government programmes, NGOs, and Google Cloud customers, helping to bridge the growing digital skills gap.
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Kenya’s AI Skilling Initiative (AINSI) is offering valuable insights for African countries aiming to build digital capabilities. With AI projected to create 230 million digital jobs across Africa by 2030, coordinated investment in skills development is vital to unlock this potential.
Despite growing ambition, fragmented efforts and uneven progress continue to limit impact.
Government leadership plays a central role in building national AI capacity. Kenya’s Regional Centre of Competence for Digital and AI Skilling has trained thousands of public servants through structured bootcamps and online programmes.
Standardising credentials and aligning training with industry needs are crucial to ensure skilling efforts translate into meaningful employment.
Industry and the informal economy are key to scaling transformation. Partnerships with KEPSA and MESH are training entrepreneurs and SMEs in AI and cybersecurity while tackling affordability, connectivity, and data access challenges.
Education initiatives, from K–12 to universities and technical institutions, are embedding AI training into curricula to prepare future generations.
Civil society collaboration further broadens access, with community-based programmes reaching gig workers and underserved groups. Kenya’s approach shows how inclusive, cross-sector frameworks can scale digital skills and support Africa’s AI-driven growth.
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AI is reshaping education, pushing teachers to act as intelligence coaches and co-creators instead of traditional instructors.
Experts at an international conference, hosted in Greece, to celebrate Athens College’s centennial, discussed how AI personalises learning and demands a redefined teaching role.
Bill McDiarmid, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, said educators must now ask students where they find their information and why they trust it.
Similarly, Yong Zhao of the University of Kansas highlighted that AI enables individualised learning, allowing every student to achieve their full potential.
Speakers agreed AI should serve as a supportive partner, not a replacement, helping schools prepare students for an active role in shaping their futures.
The event, held under Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas’ auspices, also urged caution when experimenting with AI on minors due to potential long-term risks.
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Under a deal with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in the United States, Microsoft will contribute $12.5 million over five years, OpenAI will provide $8 million plus $2 million in technical resources, and Anthropic has pledged $500,000. The AFT plans to build AI training hubs, including one in New York, and aims to train around 400,000 teachers over five years.
At a workshop in San Antonio, dozens of teachers used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Microsoft CoPilot to generate lesson plans, podcasts and bilingual flashcards. One teacher noted how quickly AI could generate materials: ‘It can save you so much time.’
However, the initiative raises critical questions. Educators expressed concerns about being replaced by AI, while unions emphasise that teachers must lead training content and maintain control over learning. Technology companies see this as a way to expand into education, but also face scrutiny over influence and the implications for teaching practice.
As schools increasingly adopt AI tools, experts say training must go beyond technical skills to cover ethical use, student data protection and critical thinking. The reforms reflect a broader push to prepare both teachers and students for a future defined by AI.
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AI is reshaping Japanese education, from predicting truancy risks to teaching English and preserving survivor memories. Schools and universities nationwide are experimenting with systems designed to support teachers and engage students more effectively.
In Saitama’s Toda City, AI analysed attendance, health records, and bullying data to identify pupils at risk of skipping school. During a 2023 pilot, it flagged more than a thousand students and helped teachers prioritise support for those most vulnerable.
Experts praised the system’s potential but warned against excessive dependence on algorithms. Keio University’s Professor Makiko Nakamuro said educators must balance data-driven insights with privacy safeguards and human judgment. Toda City has already banned discriminatory use of AI results.
AI’s role is also expanding in language learning. Universities such as Waseda and Kyushu now use a Tokyo-developed conversation AI that assesses grammar, pronunciation, and confidence. Students say they feel more comfortable practising with a machine than in front of classmates.
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Google has launched a free twelve-month Gemini Pro plan for students in Australia aged eighteen and over, aiming to make AI-powered learning more accessible.
The offer includes the company’s most advanced tools and features designed to enhance study efficiency and critical thinking.
A key addition is Guided Learning mode, which acts as a personal AI coach. Instead of quick answers, it walks students through complex subjects step by step, encouraging a deeper understanding of concepts.
Gemini now also integrates diagrams, images and YouTube videos into responses to make lessons more visual and engaging.
Students can create flashcards, quizzes and study guides automatically from their own materials, helping them prepare for exams more effectively. The Gemini Pro account upgrade provides access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Research, NotebookLM, Veo 3 for short video creation, and Jules, an AI coding assistant.
With two terabytes of storage and the full suite of Google’s AI tools, the Gemini app aims to support Australian students in their studies and skill development throughout the academic year.
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Salesforce and Google have expanded their long-term partnership, introducing new integrations between Salesforce’s Agentforce 360 platform and Google’s Gemini Enterprise. The collaboration aims to enhance productivity and build a new foundation for intelligent, connected business operations.
Through the expansion, Gemini models now power Salesforce’s Atlas Reasoning Engine, combining multimodal intelligence with hybrid reasoning to improve how AI agents handle complex, multistep enterprise tasks.
These integrations also extend across Google Workspace, bringing Agentforce 360 capabilities directly into Gmail, Meet, Docs, Sheets and Drive for sales, service and IT teams.
Salesforce highlights that fine-tuned Gemini models outperform competing LLMs on key CRM benchmarks, enabling businesses to automate workflows more reliably and consistently.
The companies also reaffirm their commitment to open standards like Model Context Protocol and Agent2Agent, allowing multi-agent collaboration and interoperability across enterprise systems.
A partnership that further integrates Gemini Enterprise with Slack’s real-time search API, enabling users to draw insights directly from organisational data within conversations.
Both companies stress that these advances mark a major step toward an ‘Agentic Enterprise’, where AI systems work alongside people to drive innovation, improve service quality and streamline decision-making.
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A new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute warns of an urgent need to improve AI literacy among staff and students in the UK. The study argues that without coordinated investment in training and policy, higher education risks deepening digital divides and losing relevance in an AI-driven world.
British report contributors say universities must move beyond acknowledging AI’s presence and instead adopt structured strategies for skill development. Kate Borthwick adds that both staff and students require ongoing education to manage how AI reshapes teaching, assessment, and research.
The publication highlights growing disparities in access and use of generative AI based on gender, wealth, and academic discipline. In a chapter written by ChatGPT, the report suggests universities create AI advisory teams within research offices and embed AI training into staff development programmes.
Elsewhere, Ant Bagshaw from the Australian Public Policy Institute warns that generative AI could lead to cuts in professional services staff as universities seek financial savings. He acknowledges the transition will be painful but argues that it could drive a more efficient and focused higher education sector.
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A new Oxford University Press (OUP) report has found that most teenagers are using AI for schoolwork but many cannot tell when information is false. Over 2,000 students aged 13 to 18 took part, with many finding it hard to verify AI content.
Around eight in ten pupils admitted using AI for homework or revision, often treating it as a digital tutor. However, many are simply copying material without being able to check its accuracy.
Despite concerns about misinformation, most pupils view AI positively. Nine in ten said they had benefited from using it, particularly in improving creative writing, problem-solving and critical thinking.
To support schools, OUP has launched an AI and Education Hub to help teachers develop confidence with the technology, while the Department for Education has released guidance on using AI safely in classrooms.
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