Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Helena Secaf, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Persson Jen, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Jamila Venturini, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Persson Jen, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Jamila Venturini, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: The Workshop format is particularly well-suited for this session as it promotes inclusive, multistakeholder dialogue on AI’s complex and context-specific challenges in education. Rather than focusing solely on expert presentations, the format will foster collaborative dialogues among speakers and attendees from diverse sectors and regions, with special attention to voices from the Global South. By combining brief expert inputs with guided discussion, the session will explore real-world experiences, regulatory gaps, and practical alternatives to surveillance-based technologies in schools. This format ensures that participants are informed and actively engaged in shaping recommendations that reflect varied sociopolitical and educational realities. It aligns with the session objective of translating high-level governance frameworks into grounded, right-based practices that safeguard education as space for learning, equity and inclusion.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: The Workshop format is particularly well-suited for this session as it promotes inclusive, multistakeholder dialogue on AI’s complex and context-specific challenges in education. Rather than focusing solely on expert presentations, the format will foster collaborative dialogues among speakers and attendees from diverse sectors and regions, with special attention to voices from the Global South. By combining brief expert inputs with guided discussion, the session will explore real-world experiences, regulatory gaps, and practical alternatives to surveillance-based technologies in schools. This format ensures that participants are informed and actively engaged in shaping recommendations that reflect varied sociopolitical and educational realities. It aligns with the session objective of translating high-level governance frameworks into grounded, right-based practices that safeguard education as space for learning, equity and inclusion.
Policy Question(s)
A. How can transparency be ensured in the adoption of AI in education, preventing the educational environment from becoming a space of excessive surveillance, reproducing inequalities and violence?
B. What are the regulatory challenges and gaps in implementing international and national legal frameworks to protect the rights of children and young people and the academic autonomy of teachers?
C. What role can artificial intelligence play in reducing social vulnerabilities present in educational environments?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a global, multi-stakeholder perspective on how AI is transforming education — both as a tool for pedagogical innovation and as an instrument of surveillance. By engaging with real world case studies and comparative insights to highlight both opportunities and risks, this session will explore how AI systems are being implemented in schools across diverse contexts. Policymakers, educators, and civil society actors will gain practical knowledge on promoting AI-driven innovation that is responsive to human rights, social inequalities, and local educational needs. The discussion will shed light on emerging regulatory frameworks, identify critical gaps, and propose rights-based, sustainable approaches to AI governance in schools. Ultimately, the session will equip participants to contribute to a global agenda that prioritizes inclusive, transparent, and context-aware uses of technology in education.
Description:
AI-powered tools are increasingly used to shape how students learn and how schools operate, through personalized learning, automated assessments, attendance tracking, and behavioral monitoring. From personalized learning algorithms to automated grading systems, these tools are quietly making decisions that impact millions of students. Schools are also turning to facial recognition and predictive analytics not just for security but to track attendance, monitor behavior, and even assess academic performance. But with these advancements comes a pressing question: how much surveillance is too much? At the global level, regulatory discussions on AI have advanced significantly. Frameworks such EU AI Act, OECD guidelines, and Brazil’s Bill 2338/2023 include provisions addressing AI in education. Yet, critical gaps remain. However, the specific implications of digitalization on students’ rights, academic autonomy, and algorithmic decision-making require further discussion to ensure that emerging policies effectively safeguard education as a space for learning — not just data collection and automated oversight. This session will map the current landscape of AI in education, examining how digitalization is reshaping schools across different regions. By analyzing key debates, regulatory challenges, and real-world implementations, the session will explore how digital innovation can be aligned with privacy, human rights, and academic freedom. Specifically, it will critically assess the trends, narratives, and challenges surrounding AI adoption in schools, providing concrete examples of both its benefits and risks. It will also address key questions, such as: What are the ethical trade-offs of AI in education? What regulatory approaches can ensure the responsible use of AI in education? What lessons can be drawn from mapped case studies, and how can they inform future policies and practices? By integrating these perspectives, the discussion aims to structure and advance the debate on AI in education, bridging regulatory efforts with practical solutions that protect fundamental rights while fostering innovation.
AI-powered tools are increasingly used to shape how students learn and how schools operate, through personalized learning, automated assessments, attendance tracking, and behavioral monitoring. From personalized learning algorithms to automated grading systems, these tools are quietly making decisions that impact millions of students. Schools are also turning to facial recognition and predictive analytics not just for security but to track attendance, monitor behavior, and even assess academic performance. But with these advancements comes a pressing question: how much surveillance is too much? At the global level, regulatory discussions on AI have advanced significantly. Frameworks such EU AI Act, OECD guidelines, and Brazil’s Bill 2338/2023 include provisions addressing AI in education. Yet, critical gaps remain. However, the specific implications of digitalization on students’ rights, academic autonomy, and algorithmic decision-making require further discussion to ensure that emerging policies effectively safeguard education as a space for learning — not just data collection and automated oversight. This session will map the current landscape of AI in education, examining how digitalization is reshaping schools across different regions. By analyzing key debates, regulatory challenges, and real-world implementations, the session will explore how digital innovation can be aligned with privacy, human rights, and academic freedom. Specifically, it will critically assess the trends, narratives, and challenges surrounding AI adoption in schools, providing concrete examples of both its benefits and risks. It will also address key questions, such as: What are the ethical trade-offs of AI in education? What regulatory approaches can ensure the responsible use of AI in education? What lessons can be drawn from mapped case studies, and how can they inform future policies and practices? By integrating these perspectives, the discussion aims to structure and advance the debate on AI in education, bridging regulatory efforts with practical solutions that protect fundamental rights while fostering innovation.
Expected Outcomes
This session will provide a structured mapping of the digitalization of education, identifying key challenges and regulatory gaps in AI adoption across different regions. It will contribute to ongoing discussions by outlining the ethical and regulatory implications of AI-driven surveillance, predictive analytics, and algorithmic decision-making in schools. Drawing from real-world cases, the session will synthesize key lessons on how AI is reshaping education and examine their relevance for policy development. Additionally, it will develop recommendations for regulatory frameworks that prioritize privacy, academic freedom, and students’ rights. By comparing global regulatory efforts—such as the EU AI Act and Brazil’s Bill 2338/2023—this discussion will help structure the debate on how to align digital innovation with fundamental rights, ensuring education remains a space for learning rather than surveillance.
Hybrid Format: To ensure a truly engaging hybrid experience, facilitators and conveners will work collaboratively to promote equitable participation among both onsite and online speakers and attendees. Interactive features such as live chat, Q&A functions, and polls will be actively integrated to support remote engagement. In a complementary manner, collaborative platforms like Padlet or Google Docs are expected to be used to collect reflections and co-create insights in real time, depending on the final technical setup. All contributors will be briefed on inclusive communication practices and the importance of actively amplifying underrepresented voices — particularly from the Global South. The session is designed to be participatory and dialogic, prioritizing horizontal exchange, contextual diversity, and the integration of lived experiences. This approach ensures that digital inclusion is not only a thematic focus but also a guiding principle in how the session is structured and facilitated.