Digitalization and AI in education must be anchored in human rights, UNESCO argued in the report, AI and Education: Protecting the Rights of Learners, and the organization urged governments and international organizations to focus on people, not technology, to ensure digital tools enhance rather than endanger the right to education.
“AI offers major opportunities for education, provided that its deployment in schools is guided by clear ethical principles,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in the report. “To reach its full potential, this technology must complement the human and social dimensions of learning. ... It must become a tool at the service of teachers and pupils, with the main objective being their autonomy and well-being.”
DIGITAL DIVIDE STILL LOOMS LARGE
Despite the widespread digitalization of education, which was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, vulnerable groups still lack connectivity, the report said.
“As of 2024, nearly one-third of the world’s population, around 2.6 billion people, still lacks Internet access,” according to UNESCO. “As learning opportunities expand beyond school, access to the Internet at home is now a prerequisite for digitalization in education.”
The report noted that connectivity and device access are now prerequisites for realizing the right to education. UNESCO called for urgent efforts to guarantee access, noting that affordability is key to accessibility: “Internet connectivity must be inexpensive so that cost does not constitute a barrier to access.”
UNESCO offered guidance to address connectivity gaps, especially when they are caused by lack of funding or reliable electricity, including subsidies, free-of-charge digital devices, zero-rated data connectivity for education purposes, and the maintenance of quality public digital learning platforms.
DIGITALIZING EDUCATION AND TEACHERS’ ROLE
Digital tools and AI are reshaping classrooms, per the report, and that technology can also streamline administrative and logistical processes.
“Digital technologies have also led to the increased collection, storage, sharing and analysis of data, which have generated a rise in learning analytics and education data mining,” UNESCO said.
However, while incorporating technology like AI into education has shown potential to improve student learning experiences, the report noted that digitalizing education has also been criticized for minimizing the human component, “which is vital for students’ trust and motivation, given the critical social and emotional support provided by teachers.”
"Despite the expansion in [AI tools’] use, there is little evidence to justify their wide use in classrooms,” according to the report. “Effective learning depends on more than access to technology: it requires meaningful engagement, human interaction, and the safeguarding of cognitive and social development.”
Teacher training is paramount in the effective deployment of digital tools in education, UNESCO said, and professional development reviewing digital competencies should be continuous.
HUMAN RIGHTS AT STAKE
The report explored how digitalization intersects with broader human rights. UNESCO specifically called for the creation and implementation of “proper safeguards — such as strong data protection measures, ethical frameworks, transparent governance, inclusive access policies, and accountability mechanisms."
Student data is increasingly exploited for commercialization, targeted advertising, and the training of AI systems by private platforms, the report said. In response, UNESCO advised schools and educational agencies to uphold privacy-first principles to protect information.
The report also highlighted that cyber violence and the use of technology for exploitation are on the rise, and that even though instances happen online, their consequences can manifest as physical harm.
“Online educational collaborative tools, such as forums, discussion boards and learning platforms that facilitate interaction between students and teachers, provide a broad reaching environment for children’s engagement,” the report said. “These platforms can create opportunities for harmful activities such as cyberharassment, cyberbullying, revenge porn, cyberstalking, online child sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, the production of child sexual abuse material and sextortion.”
However, AI tools can work to mitigate the negative impact of violent online activity, the report found, and “... when adequately safeguarded, these platforms can foster peer collaboration, increase access to digital educational resources and reduce isolation through peer support.”
AI also has the potential to threaten cultural rights through homogenization, such as of linguistic heritage and diversity, since “AI systems are predominantly trained on data sets that reflect mainstream cultural norms.” UNESCO urged schools and educational agencies to ensure AI-driven tools “respect and represent cultural diversity,” and said it is “essential to fostering inclusivity, critical thinking and the right of all learners to engage with a broad spectrum of cultural knowledge.”
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE, ACTION
To address the challenges brought on by powerful emerging technology, UNESCO outlined a rights-based digital transformation built on five pillars: coordination and leadership, content and solutions, capacity and culture, connectivity and infrastructure, and cost and sustainability. It is called the 5C Framework.
Digitalization must serve education with deliberate, human-centered designs, according to UNESCO, harnessing AI to support equitable, high-quality education worldwide.
