Global education systems urged to address AI guidance deficit through policy and training

New research from ThinkYoung highlights a significant gap in how students are guided when using AI; while 79% of surveyed students use AI for assignments, only 47% report being shown how to do so. This underscores the growing necessity for educational systems to equip teachers, schools, and governments with the confidence and skills to manage AI tools responsibly. Collaborations across EMEA, including projects in Estonia, Slovakia, Greece, and Italy, are focusing on three key areas: ensuring fair access to advanced AI, developing joint AI literacy programs, and continuous evaluation. These partnerships reveal that strong public leadership, investment in teacher skills, and curriculum-specific support are vital for successful AI integration. OpenAI's mission emphasizes that AI should benefit everyone, and through its Learning Lab, it is working with researchers to understand AI's supportive role in education. Early findings also show encouraging time savings for educators, prompting a call for sustained research into how AI enhances independent thinking and knowledge retention.