At UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2026, over 25 education ministers issued a global call to ensure AI serves classrooms rather than replacing human teachers and critical thinking.
Key Survey Findings
- 93% of higher education academics report students using generative AI for assignments.
- 63% see a decline in students' critical thinking skills.
- Most educators want clear usage guidelines—less than 1% support a total ban, and only 2% favour unrestricted AI access.
The 8 Action Priorities
- Public Oversight: Keep AI tools transparent and auditable, even free versions.
- Protect Thinking: Design AI to guide problem-solving, not complete tasks for students.
- Teacher Support: Give educators a say in classroom tools to support, not replace, their judgment.
- Age Safety: Match AI to student maturity and retain the power to pause unsafe tools.
- Data Rights: Protect student and teacher personal data from tech vendor exploitation.
- Inclusion: Ensure systems work across diverse languages, cultures, and learning abilities.
- True Costs: Evaluate long-term system and privacy costs before adopting new software.
- Shared Power: Help smaller nations pool resources so they can negotiate effectively with tech giants.
UNESCO will gather public feedback through 2026 and release a final policy framework in March 2027.
