These guidelines are designed to help educators understand the potential that the use of AI and data can have in education and to raise awareness of the possible risks so that they are able to engage positively, critically and ethically with AI systems and exploit their full potential. The guidelines are an essential part of the EU policy initiative of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027.

Using data to train AI

According to these guidelines, when we talk about AI systems, we are referring to software in computers or machines that is programmed to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, e.g., learning or reasoning. Schools typically process substantial amounts of educational data including personal information about students, parents, staff, management and suppliers. Data collected, used and processed in education is often referred to as ‘educational data’.

Using data, certain AI systems can be ‘trained’ to make predictions, provide recommendations or decisions, sometimes without any human involvement. Given the large amount of data needed to train AI systems, the automating nature of algorithms and the scalability in its applications, the use of AI raises important questions in relation to personal data, data protection and privacy. Still, AI can be understood and trusted, become inclusive and acquire a role in education.

In fact, the use of AI systems in classrooms across Europe is growing and AI is being used in different ways to support teaching, learning and assessment practices. In detail, AI is used as follows:

• Student Teaching – Using AI to teach students,
• Student Supporting – Using AI to support student learning,
• Teacher Supporting – Using AI to support the teacher,
• System Supporting – Using AI to support diagnostic or system-wide planning.

Ethical considerations of using AI

In developing these guidelines, four key ethical considerations have been identified that underpin the ethical use of AI and data in teaching, learning and assessment. These are human agency, fairness, humanity and justified choice.

They are aligned with the key requirements of the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, prepared by the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence, which are:

• Human agency and oversight,
• Transparency,
• Diversity, non-discrimination and fairness,
• Societal and environmental well-being,
• Privacy and data governance,
• Technical robustness and safety,
• Accountability.

These requirements are accompanied by guiding questions for educators, a plan for effective use of AI and data in schools and suggestions on raising awareness and community engagement.

Upgrading of digital competences needed

The use of AI systems in schools will bring about new opportunities and challenges. This will lead to the development of new digital competences to be considered in the context of the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) which provides a general reference framework to support the development of educator-specific digital competences in Europe. Some areas of potential indicators include professional engagement, digital resources, teaching and learning, assessment, learners’ empowerment and facilitating learners’ digital competences.

Finally, as some words associated with AI and data use might sound unfamiliar or strange, the guidelines include the most common terms associated with AI and data use and an explanation of how it can apply to education. The explanations provided here are written to be accessible to those involved in schools and should not be considered as full technical definitions, as those included in The Assessment List For Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (ALTAI) and the Commission’s Glossary of human-centric Artificial Intelligence.