According to Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education “Generative AI opens new horizons and challenges for education. But we urgently need to take action to ensure that new AI technologies are integrated into education on our terms. It is our duty to prioritize safety, inclusion, diversity, transparency, and quality — as stated in the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence adopted unanimously by our Member States”.

Ministers highlighted several pressing challenges and shared policy approaches

During the discussion, ministers raised several common concerns about the use of generative AI in education. These concerns included: a) the necessary adaptations required within education systems to effectively address the disruptions caused by generative AI such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, DALL-E 2, Midjourney, b) How to integrate generative AI into curricula, teaching methods, and examinations in meaningful ways, and c) How to mitigate the inherent flaws of generative AI and other of its potentially negative impact. The debate between ministers revealed that governments worldwide are in the process of formulating appropriate policy responses to the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). Governments are working to develop existing or refine national strategies on AI, data protection, and other regulatory frameworks to safeguard education quality, equity, transparency, and accountability.

Only 10% of schools and universities have formal guidance on AI

A recent UNESCO global survey of over 450 schools and universities uncovered that less than 10% have formulated institutional policies and/or formal guidance about the use of generative AI applications. The results revealed that coming up with an urgent answer to the swift emergence of these powerful generative AI applications which can drive written and visual outputs is challenging for institutions.

The essential role that teachers have in this new era as learning facilitators was brought to the forefront. Yet, teachers urgently need guidance and training to meet the challenges posed by generative AI.

UNESCO's policy guidelines and competencies framework related to AI

UNESCO will continue to lead the global dialogue with policymakers, EdTech partners, academia, and civil society on the use of generative AI in education and research. The organization is developing policy guidelines and frameworks of AI competencies for learners and teachers dedicated for school education. These will be launched during the Digital Learning Week, which will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on September 4-7, 2023.

UNESCO is uniquely positioned to lead this dialogue, as it has a mandate for education and for sciences. The organization has taken a pioneering approach in recent years with their work on the Futures of Education and it has subsequently developed the first-ever global standard on AI ethics – the 'Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence' in November 2021, unanimously adopted by 193 Member States.

In the same vein, The UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in the Arab States (UNESCO Beirut), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), organized a workshop on Teaching Coding and Artificial Intelligence for Teachers. The workshop was attended by 35 trainers, counselors, and teachers from 10 public secondary schools chosen by MEHE and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CRDP).

MEHE, in cooperation with the UNESCO Education Sector, has launched a project to teach coding skills and artificial intelligence (AI) to teachers and learners in public schools. After this workshop, trained teachers will provide a 40-hour training for a total of 500 learners in their respective schools on coding and AI skills. Upon completion of the training, learners will receive a certificate.

The project is expected to contribute to the development of Lebanon’s education system by equipping teachers and learners with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century economy and society. It is also expected to help Lebanon bridge the digital divide and prepare its citizens for the future of work.