From those who ban cell phones in class to those who instead encourage them, Europe’s approach to artificial intelligence in schools proceeds in scattered order, and the risk of a continental divide in digital literacy weighs on the future of young Europeans. In some European Union countries, artificial intelligence’s arrival in the classroom is already a reality, with results that attract international attention; in others, the process remains slow and confused. Meanwhile, the EU pushes but also brakes: while the Commission encourages the updating of educational systems to new technologies, new EU rules – starting with the AI Act – impose immovable ethical barriers, which however often translate into obstacles for those who innovate.
While ministries reflect, however, students themselves bring AI to school. A study conducted in the United Kingdom in 2024 revealed that 77 percent of adolescents between 13 and 18 have already used generative artificial intelligence tools, for homework or entertainment. However, the effects of this new “classmate” are not yet fully known. UNICEF warns that the relationship between minors and AI has “physiological and psychological” implications in children’s growth and exposes them to concrete risks: misinformation, addiction, cyberbullying, and even new forms of online grooming.
At the same time, however, the potential benefits are enormous. Research by the European University Association emphasizes that in higher education, 20 percent of the population suffers from learning disorders (from attention deficit disorder to autism, from dyslexia to dyscalculia), and that AI can become a decisive ally for teachers. Adaptive digital environments, virtual tutors, translation tools, and reading support can fill gaps, break down barriers, and significantly reduce the phenomenon of school dropout. Digital tools, in short, don’t distract: on the contrary, they allow recovery of those who get distracted too easily.
The entry into force of the AI Act, the first European regulation for artificial intelligence, is revolutionizing the regulatory framework, which was previously almost non-existent. Regarding the use of AI in schools, however, the AI Act provides a dual track: on one hand it introduces greater protection of minors’ rights and the obligation to inform students when they interact with artificial systems; on the other, the “high-risk” classification of applications such as automated evaluation of school tests adds stringent certification procedures that risk slowing down market and innovation. Parallel to regulatory action, Brussels pushes for accelerating AI adoption in classrooms through the Digital Education Action Plan, a document that sets ethical guidelines for conscious use of AI in schools and invites member states to strengthen students’ digital literacy. What balance to find between the development accelerator and regulatory friction is a choice left to member states.
Looking at the national picture, Estonia leads the innovation rankings. In recent years it has even surpassed Finland in OECD rankings, distinguishing itself for high levels of reception in subjects like mathematics, sciences, and creative thinking thanks to teaching open to new digital tools and AI. “In Estonia there are no smartphone bans in schools, on the contrary: we use them for educational purposes,” says Education Minister Kristina Kallas (compatriot and namesake of EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, but not related). The revolution shifts attention from mnemonic exercises to critical and creative capabilities to learn to live alongside AI. Since September 2024, moreover, thanks to the national AI Leap program, Estonia offers dedicated accounts to students and teachers through a direct agreement with OpenAI: the objective is to guarantee free access to AI tools to the 58,000 students and 5,000 teachers of the small Baltic state by 2027. Finland, for its part, invests in AI education from infancy. Children under six participate in guided exercises with artificial intelligence tools, learning to distinguish human content from synthetic content. Helsinki’s objective is to educate children to develop critical skills to counter misinformation and make citizens more aware in using digital technologies.
In France, Emmanuel Macron has made the development of sovereign AI one of the pillars of his second term: 17 billion in investments for the sector, with an eye to school applications. From 2026-2027, support tools for teachers and student evaluation should arrive, while already this year the Pix platform offers students modules dedicated to prompting, that is, how to interrogate artificial intelligence, understanding generative AI and its impacts. Germany is also moving, whose objective, through the “Recommendation for the use of AI in school educational processes” adopted by the Conference of Education Ministers of the Länder, is to “support teachers and create personalized learning environments, while maintaining critical control over emerging technologies.” In December 2024, moreover, Germany launched Digitalpakt Schule 2.0, a 5 billion euro program to strengthen digital infrastructure in schools and train teachers in new innovative teaching and learning methods, including the use of AI. The initiative provides substantial investments for high-performance local wireless networks, modern devices, and digital learning platforms in all schools. The program includes a 250 million initiative dedicated to supporting innovative training based on adaptive learning systems supported by artificial intelligence.
Italy, instead, is absent from international rankings in AI and education. Some pilot initiatives exist, but they are isolated in individual institutes, without systemic impact. The famous Valditara circular of June polarized the debate, extending the smartphone ban already in effect in elementary and middle schools to high schools. According to the ministry, this is not a brake on digital literacy, but an attempt to recover “the human, attentive, and relational dimension of learning.” A war on cell phones that however risks becoming an aesthetic crusade, going in the opposite direction compared to those in Europe who are making smartphones a tool to revolutionize education itself, exposing us to the risk of a digital divide that will be difficult to recover from.
