AI and the future of education

Background and Problem

The transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) extends across various sectors, including education, yet it remains unclear what impact AI will have on learning, teaching and (European) policy. For teachers and trainers in adult and vocational education, there are numerous possible applications of AI, such as new ways of adapting learning content to learners' needs, as well as new processes for assessment and for improving the guidance given to learners. AI systems can help to interpret activities in vocational and adult education and to link theoretical and practical learning. There remains a need to improve knowledge and understanding of emerging technologies and, beyond that, to examine their use in education in a differentiated way.

Research question

• Which framework conditions enable the long-term development of a network of pioneers in adult and vocational education with regard to the use of artificial intelligence?

• To what extent is AI already being used in adult and vocational education in various European countries?

• What impact does the use of AI have on data protection, ethics and European values?

Approach

The AI Pioneers consortium involved a total of 10 project partners from seven different EU countries (Germany, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Estonia). At various points of data collection, project actors and other actors in adult and vocational education in the countries of the participating project partners were involved through expert interviews, online surveys and classroom observations, in order to identify, for example, competence requirements in VET with regard to the use of AI, examples from practice, specific uses of AI and the underlying organisational concepts.

Results

The focus of the project was on building a sustainable network of AI pioneers, addressing teachers and trainers, researchers and policymakers. The project was also dedicated to developing policy recommendations, toolkits and ethical implementation guidelines for pioneers in dealing with AI, as well as to identifying, developing and piloting AI use cases in education. The involvement of relevant stakeholders such as training companies and vocational schools was at the heart of the project. To establish the network of AI pioneers, the participating project partners also set up national and transnational communities of practice with various exchange formats (online and face-to-face) around the topic of using artificial intelligence in vocational and adult education, in order to engage a wide range of people in AI-related exchange in education. In September 2025, the international final conference was held at the University of Bremen with a diverse range of actors from the project's target groups to discuss innovative approaches and opportunities for integrating AI into vocational and adult education.