In Depth: AI Enters the Classroom, Sparking a Debate for the Soul of Education
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(Doha, Qatar) ― For years, artificial intelligence was a fringe topic at the World Education Innovation Summit. Today, it’s the only one that seems to matter.
“If you go back before 2023, AI wasn’t really a hot topic,” said Evren Tok, an associate dean at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Public Policy and a five-time attendee of the summit, known as WISE. Now, he said, it’s a different world. “I always think of it as a negotiation going on. How much do we negotiate in terms of the use of AI? Is it just taking it right away and then plugging it into our systems, or looking at what kind of the humanity needs at this critical juncture? We are experiencing an unprecedented, very unknown situation.”
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- The 2023 WISE summit in Qatar focused on AI’s transformative impact on education, highlighting both promise (personalized learning, efficiency) and concerns (intellectual dependency, inequality).
- 86% of educational institutions now use generative AI, but global disparities persist: only 40% of primary schools worldwide have internet access, dropping to 14% in rural least-developed areas.
- Experts urge a human-centered approach, emphasizing ethical use, teacher agency, and real-world skills, while advocating localized, offline AI solutions for broader inclusivity.
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- Microsoft
- According to Microsoft's "AI in Education 2025 Report," educational institutions have the highest adoption rate of generative AI, at 86%. The report indicates that institutions are quickly integrating AI to improve efficiency, engagement, and results, from personalized learning in K-12 classrooms to AI-powered administrative tools in universities.
- Dalberg
- Dalberg is a consulting firm. Gaurav Gupta, a global managing partner at Dalberg, observed that worldwide student learning levels have remained stagnant since 2010 despite increased spending. Charlie Habershon, another partner at Dalberg, noted that while investment in education AI is projected to reach $112 billion by 2034, 70% is concentrated in the U.S. and Europe, further disadvantaging the Global South. Dayoung Lee, also a Dalberg partner, proposed a collaborative model involving big tech, government, and philanthropy to address these issues.
- Taleemabad
- Taleemabad is Pakistan's largest education technology organization. Its CEO, Haroon Yasin, recounted an experience providing tablet-based education to out-of-school girls in a remote region. They found that social resistance from the girls' fathers and brothers, rather than technology, was the biggest obstacle. Yasin also highlighted their innovation in building a voice-operated educational system after observing teachers in Pakistan using WhatsApp primarily for voice notes.
- McKinsey & Company
- According to Emma Dorn, a senior expert at McKinsey & Company, education-related aid has recently decreased by 15% to 22%.
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