AI transforming education and digital literacy: experts

Artificial intelligence is reshaping education, from personalized learning to lifelong education systems, but it also brings challenges around ethics and data, experts said at the 2024 China Annual Conference and Expo for International Education.

The forum focused on the current and future impacts of AI in education, covering areas such as digital literacy for teachers and accelerating digital transformation, according to experts.

"AI enables a shift from uniform education to one that adapts to each student, focusing on individual development, potential and addressing weaknesses," said Wang Xuenan, deputy director at the Digital Education Research Institute of the China National Academy of Educational Sciences.

As technology and knowledge evolve, the need for lifelong learning has intensified and establishing lifelong education systems has become a priority, Wang noted. She added that AI-driven education increasingly emphasizes advanced skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and recognizing AI-generated misinformation.

However, the growth of AI in education comes with significant risks and challenges, Wang said, which may reshape ethics and social values in unpredictable ways. For example, she highlighted that quality data remains a bottleneck in developing large-scale AI models for education. Insufficient data and a lack of standardized data collection hinder the performance of AI tools. "The data we feed these large models is often inconsistent, which can lead AI to provide unreliable information," Wang said.

A UNESCO-affiliated survey by the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation found that while universities in developing countries are interested in AI adoption, they lack the policy support, infrastructure and data resources necessary for effective implementation. Teacher and administrator digital literacy remains a priority.

China has been at the forefront of integrating AI into education, having built 18 "smart education demonstration zones" since 2019 to explore technological applications in the classroom, said Zeng Haijun, vice dean of Beijing Normal University's Smart Learning Institute.

According to UNESCO, the global AI in education market is projected to exceed $6 billion by 2024. In response to rapid AI advancements, UNESCO recently introduced competency frameworks to help students and teachers understand the benefits and risks of AI while engaging with it ethically.

"The governance of AI affects all humanity and requires international cooperation," said Zhang Xiuqin, vice-president of the China Education Association for International Exchange. To support AI in education sustainably, Zeng called for continued development of digital infrastructure and resources, emphasizing the need for a high-quality, inclusive education ecosystem.

Xu Nuo contributed to this story.