BNU and UNESCO's AI Lab Aims for Inclusive, Data-Driven Education Systems

Innovative AI Lab Launched to Enhance Education Planning and Policy

From January 14 to January 19, Beijing Normal University (BNU), in collaboration with UNESCO's affiliated bodies, hosted a significant seminar focused on education planning and governance in the intelligence era. The event culminated with the Lab of AI Governance and Planning in Education launch, which introduced its pioneering initiative, the Education Policy and Planning AI Agents. This seminar aimed to delve into the synergies between education policy, strategic planning, and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in revolutionizing global education systems.

The event featured 38 participants from 19 countries, including government officials, educational planners, and scholars, who discussed the future of education in an AI-driven world. Over six days, the seminar focused on the digital transformation of global education planning, AI in education governance, and the importance of education planning. The Lab of AI Governance and Planning in Education was launched at a seminar to integrate AI into education governance and policy planning. It aims to create more inclusive and data-driven educational systems. BNU established it, along with UNESCO’s IIEP, IITE, and institutions like Tsinghua University.

The lab will focus on AI in education policy, digital education, smart society experiments, and regional development. As Huang Ronghuai from UNESCO notes, it will emphasize addressing digital resource scarcity in developing nations, particularly in Africa and Small Island Developing States, to make digital education accessible to all. The lab’s first outcome, EduPX, supports education decision-making by addressing challenges in policy retrieval, comparison, and trend forecasting. Using a large dataset of global education policies and data from economics, technology, and politics, it provides multilingual policy support and strategic insights to education planners, research institutions, and international organizations.

The seminar marked a significant step in integrating AI into education governance, culminating in the launch of the Lab of AI Governance and Planning in Education and its EduPX initiative, which aims to create more inclusive, data-driven educational systems, especially benefiting developing nations.

Editor's Note

The recent seminar hosted by Beijing Normal University (BNU) in partnership with UNESCO’s affiliated organizations marked an important step in education planning and governance. The seminar focused on how artificial intelligence (AI) can transform global education systems. A key moment was the launch of the Lab of AI Governance and Planning in Education and its new initiative, the Education Policy and Planning AI Agents. The event explored the future of education in an AI-driven world. The lab aims to build more inclusive, data-driven education systems and address digital resource gaps, especially in developing countries. 

Skoobuzz sees this seminar as a major move towards integrating AI into education governance, promoting global cooperation, and reshaping education policy planning.