UNESCO Honors Artificial Intelligence on the 2025 International Day of Education

The International Day of Education is observed every year on January 24 to raise awareness of the important role that education plays in promoting both peace and development. Through resolution 73/25 the UN General Assembly officially declared it on December 3, 2018. . . 

The opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence will be the focus of International Education Day 2025 which falls on Friday, January 24, according to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. She is urging the member states of UNESCO to make investments in educating educators and students about the appropriate use of this technology within the field of education. 

“AI offers major opportunities for education, provided that its deployment in schools is guided by clear ethical principles. To reach its full potential, this technology must complement the human and social dimensions of learning, rather than replace them. It must become a tool at the service of teachers and pupils, with the main objective being their autonomy and well-being.”

By focusing on artificial intelligence for the International Day of Education 2025 UNESCO hopes to spark a global conversation about the role of this technology in education. In addition to a webinar, the organization has conferences planned in Paris and New York. 

Countries remain split between permission and restriction 

Education is seeing an increase in the use of artificial intelligence. More than 2/3 of secondary school students in high-income nations already use generative AI tools to create their coursework. AI is becoming a more common tool used by teachers to plan lessons and grade student work. AI is also increasingly influencing school guidance and admissions which are traditionally decided by teachers and experts. . . 

Clear guidelines on these practices are still lacking for education professionals though. According to a May 2023 UNESCO survey of 450 institutions, only 10% of schools and universities currently have an official framework for the use of AI. By 2022 only 7 countries had created AI training programs or frameworks for their teachers and only 15 had incorporated AI training goals into their national curricula. Simultaneously an increasing number of nations are imposing limitations on the use of new technologies in the classroom. New UNESCO data shows that nearly 40% of nations now have laws or policies that prohibit cell phone use in classrooms up from 24% in July 2023. 

A tool that needs to continue serving teachers and students

For almost a decade UNESCO has been tackling the issues presented by artificial intelligence as part of its education, science, culture, and information mandate. The first international standard-setting framework on AI ethics was adopted by its member states in November 2021. 

To promote the safe moral inclusive and responsible use of AI in education UNESCO released the first-ever Guidance for Generative AI in Education and Research in September 2023 and two AI competency frameworks for teachers and students in 2024. These frameworks address both the potential and the risks of AI. One recommendation made in these publications is to limit the use of AI in the classroom to students who are at least 13 years old. 

Additionally, UNESCO notes that during a time when 60% of primary schools lack Internet access and 1 in 4 still lack electricity government funding for AI must complement existing funding for education rather than take away from it. The top priorities must continue to be well-run well-equipped schools with highly qualified well-paid teachers who are driven by their work.