Survey on artificial intelligence for teaching and learning – Results

Most European education authorities consider artificial intelligence as a priority topic, aiming to improve teaching and learning and prepare learners for an increasingly digital future. It is equally important to ensure pupils’ and educators’ wellbeing and provide guidance on the opportunities and limitations of AI in education.

Various European Commission initiatives aim to support public authorities, schools and teachers:

• The European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp 3.0) integrates AI competence across all areas of digital competence, alongside cybersecurity, digital rights, wellbeing and the ability to address misinformation.
• The Ethical guidelines on the use of AI and data in teaching and learning for educators help teachers understand AI’s potential, raise awareness of ethical considerations such as privacy and fairness, avoid misconceptions and support positive and critical engagement with these technologies.
• The AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education, developed together with OECD, explains what competences are needed to be AI-literate and promote the effective and ethical response of EU education and training systems to AI.

These European level initiatives reflect a commitment to ethical, trustworthy and human-centred AI that supports educational goals while mitigating risks related to data protection, bias and academic integrity.

This survey aimed to gather insights into perceptions of AI in education, current uses of AI in teaching practice, perceived opportunities and challenges, and professional development needs related to AI.

The survey gathered 1130 responses, mostly from teachers in secondary schools (54%), primary schools (21%), vocational education and training (VET) schools (12%) and pre-primary schools (7%), and from school heads (5%). Responses were received from over 50 countries, including Italy (30%), Spain (19%), Türkiye (9%), Portugal and Greece (6%).

The role of respondents

1. Teacher – early years education
2. Teacher – primary education
3. Teacher – secondary education
4. Teacher – vocational education
5. School head
6. National, regional or local authority
7. Teacher educator/trainer
8. Education policymaker
9. Parent
10. In-school support (e.g. school librarian, career counsellor)
11. External practitioner (visiting schools)
12. Other educational professional/stakeholder

1. Based on your perception, to what extent is AI currently used in schools?

AI is increasingly present in schools, but not all school actors are adopting it at the same pace. 81% of respondents report using AI ‘a lot’ or ‘partially’, but estimate that their colleagues use AI somewhat less actively. A quarter of respondents don’t know how much their school administration is using AI.

Pupils are considered to be the most active users of AI, with 45% thinking they use AI ‘a lot.’ Awareness of AI use beyond one's own school also remains limited, with around a quarter of respondents unable to assess the situation in their wider national context.

A. A lot / B. Partially / C. Not at all / D. I don’t know or Not applicable  

1. By yourself
2. By other teachers in your school
3. By pupils in your school
4. By your school’s administration
5. By other schools and teachers in your country

2. To what extent are you currently using AI tools in different areas of your professional practice?

Use of AI varies significantly depending on the task. Pedagogical preparation is where AI has gained the most traction, with 73% of respondents using it at least partially for lesson planning and teaching materials, and 67% for preparing assessments. Supporting pupils' learning activities is also a key area of adoption, with 63% using AI at least partially for generating explanations or practice exercises. Administrative tasks such as emails and reports follow at 53%.  

However, adoption drops sharply when it comes to evaluation: 41% don’t use AI for grading and summative assessment at all, and 31% avoid it for formative feedback. This suggests that while teachers are increasingly exploring AI as a planning and preparation aid, they remain more hesitant to use it when assessing their pupils' work.

A. A lot / B. Partially / C. Not at all / D. I don’t know or Not applicable

1. Lesson planning and teaching materials
2. Preparing assessments (e.g. creating tests, tasks, rubrics)
3. Administrative tasks (e.g. emails, reports, meeting notes, school organisation)
4. Supporting pupils’ learning activities ((e.g. generating explanations, providing practice exercises, learning hints)
5. Formative assessment and feedback (e.g. feedback generation, learning hints, tutoring support)
6. Grading or summative assessment (e.g. automated marking, scoring) 

3. Which of the following types of AI tools have you used in your professional practice (teaching, assessment, administration or school-related activities)? 

Two thirds of respondents (66%) indicate having used generative AI tools professionally. General-purpose AI systems follow at 49%, while conversational AI such as chatbots is used by 29%. More specialised tools are still rarely used: adaptive learning systems by 22% and agentic AI – which acts autonomously – by just 7%. Notably, 8% of respondents were unsure whether the tools they use are even AI-based, highlighting the importance of building stronger AI literacy across the profession.

1. Generative AI (e.g. tools that generate text, images, audio or teaching materials)
2. General AI (AI systems supporting a wide range of tasks or decision-making across different activities)
3. Conversational AI (e.g. chatbots or AI-based tutoring or support systems)
4. Adaptive learning AI (systems that personalise learning pathways or content based on pupils’ performance)
5. Agentic AI (AI systems that autonomously plan, decide or carry out tasks with limited human intervention)
6. I am not sure whether the tools I use are based on AI or what type they are 

4. In your opinion, what are the main benefits AI can offer to teachers and schools? 

Respondents see AI's greatest potential in saving time and reducing workload: over half point to time savings on pedagogical tasks (52%) and nearly as many to the creation of customised teaching resources (49%), while 40% highlight gains in administrative tasks. Enhancing formative assessment and feedback, cited by 15%, completes this set of pedagogical benefits.  

A second group of benefits centres on personalisation and inclusion, with 37% valuing AI's potential to support differentiated learning, 30% highlighting its role in language learning and translation, 24% its ability to help pupils with special educational needs, and 21% its role in boosting pupil engagement.  

A third group relates to broader access and innovation: 32% see AI as a driver of innovative teaching practices and 28% point to improved access to learning materials.

1. Saving time on pedagogical tasks (e.g. generating learning materials and activities, preparing assessment, facilitate the marking of exercises).
2. Creating customised teaching resources and lesson ideas
3. Saving time on administrative tasks (e.g. grading, reporting)
4. Supporting differentiated and personalised learning
5. Encouraging innovative teaching practices
6. Supporting language learning and translation
7. Improving access to learning materials
8. Supporting better pupils with special educational needs
9. Supporting pupils’ engagement and motivation
10. Enhancing formative assessment and feedback

5. How concerned are you about different AI uses in education?

Despite growing AI adoption, respondents express significant concerns about AI in education across five broad areas:

• Worries about pupils' behaviour and academic integrity are the most pressing: 72% are very concerned about inappropriate or unethical AI use by pupils, 71% about pupil over-reliance, and 55% about academic integrity and plagiarism.
• Concerns about teachers themselves are also notable, though somewhat less intense: 42% are very concerned about inappropriate or unethical use by teachers, and 36% about teacher over-reliance on AI.
• Data, transparency and equity: 60% are very concerned about data protection and privacy, 55% about bias and lack of transparency in AI systems, and 34% about unequal access to AI tools among pupils.
• Guidance and training: 48% are very concerned about unclear school or national policies, 41% about insufficient resources to develop pupils' digital skills, and 37% about insufficient teacher training opportunities.
• Concerns about workload and professional impact are present but more moderate: 32% are very concerned about increased workload due to monitoring AI use, while 40% remain partially concerned about this issue.

A. Very concerned / B. Partially concerned / C. Not at all / D. No opinion

1. Risk of pupil over-reliance on AI tools
2. Risk of teacher over-reliance on AI tools
3. Risk of inappropriate or unethical use of AI by pupils due to lack of clear guidance
4. Risk of inappropriate or unethical use of AI by teachers due to lack of clear guidance
5. Academic integrity and plagiarism concerns
6. Insufficient teacher training opportunities on AI and data use
7. Insufficient resources to develop pupils’ digital skills and AI literacy
8. Data protection and privacy concerns
9. Bias and lack of transparency in AI systems
10. Increased workload for teachers due to monitoring AI use
11. Unequal access to AI tools among pupils
12. Unclear school or national policies on AI use

6. How likely do you consider the following statements about AI’s impact on teachers’ professional roles and wellbeing?

Most respondents expect AI to have a significant impact on their professional lives – only 12% consider it ‘very likely’ that AI will have no meaningful effect. However, views on that impact are mixed.

On the positive side, teachers see real potential: 81% consider that AI will impact the way they assess pupils’ work, whereas 79% consider that AI will reduce their workload and administrative burden somehow, and that it will enhance their ability to support individual pupils.

At the same time, teachers anticipate certain challenges: 87% consider that AI will require some level of upskilling and continuous training, and 79% think it will increase stress due to new responsibilities.

Finally, concerns about professional autonomy appear more measured: 55% consider it at least partially likely that AI will reduce their autonomy in teaching decisions, 39% don’t see this as likely at all. This suggests that respondents remain cautiously optimistic about retaining control over their practice.

A. Very likely / B. Partially likely / C. Not at all / D. No opinion

1. AI will reduce workload and administrative burden
2. AI will require significant upskilling and continuous training
3. AI will change how teachers assess pupils’ work
4. AI will enhance teachers’ ability to support individual pupils
5. AI will increase stress due to new responsibilities (e.g. monitoring pupils’ AI use, ensuring ethical and appropriate use, managing data protection and privacy, or adapting teaching and assessment practices)
6. AI will reduce teachers’ autonomy in instructional decisions
7. AI won’t have significant impact on teachers’ work

7. What types of support would be most helpful to prepare teachers for effective and ethical use of AI?

For the respondents, training and safe tools are the top priorities to support effective and ethical use of AI in schools. 62% call for both continuing professional development and access to approved, safe AI tools for education. Clear guidelines at school or national level follow closely, cited by 52%.

Support for longer-term preparation of the profession is also valued, with 27% highlighting the inclusion of AI literacy in initial teacher education. More practical and infrastructural needs complete the picture: 25% point to technical support and infrastructure improvements, 22% call for dedicated time for experimentation and collaboration, and 20% express interest in communities of practice and peer learning.

1. Continuing professional development and training courses for teachers
2. Access to approved and safe AI tools for education
3. Clear school or national guidelines on AI use
4. Inclusion of AI literacy in initial teacher education
5. Technical support and infrastructure improvements
6. Time allocated for experimentation and collaboration
7. Communities of practice and peer learning

Discussion 

The majority of respondents are already using AI, primarily as a tool to support planning and preparation, but adoption remains uneven across school actors and tasks. While respondents recognise clear benefits – particularly in terms of time savings, personalisation and access to resources – they also raise substantial concerns around pupils' behaviour, academic integrity, data privacy, assessment and the absence of clear guidance.  

Looking ahead, most respondents expect AI to bring significant changes to their professional roles, including a need for continuous upskilling and new responsibilities. Against this backdrop, respondents identify training, access to safe and approved tools, and clear policies as the most pressing support needs.  

The findings suggest that while AI is becoming part of schools’ realities, the conditions for its effective and ethical use in schools are still being established. To help schools address this, the updated guidelines on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and data in teaching and learning may offer valuable support.