After lengthy discussions on how artificial intelligence could be incorporated into the country’s education system, Greece is formally introducing AI into its public schools.
The initiative, called AI4edu and co-funded by the European Union, introduces two interactive educational assistants, one for students called Study Buddy, and one for educators, Teacher Mate.
Study Buddy is an assistant integrated with school textbooks that provide students with tailored support through interactive learning. The study aid helps by explaining concepts, summarizing texts, editing assignments, and even grading answers. The Teacher Mate assistant combines textbook material with additional teaching tools for lesson planning, curriculum design and the explanation of terms. It also features a dashboard where teachers can monitor student progress, generate tests and provide feedback.
The AI4edu initiative brings together six organizations from four EU member states, including the Athena Research and Innovation Center (Greece), the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (Cyprus), Drumcondra Education Center (Ireland), Ellinogermaniki Agogi (Greece) and Lulea University of Technology (Sweden).
The use of AI in Greek classrooms
During a speech at the CEO Initiative Forum, Greece’s education minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said that the government’s goal was to gradually incorporate advanced technologies and AI tools such as personal assistants into the Greek educational system to pinpoint student weaknesses and keep teachers informed.
At the OECD’s Global Strategy Group Summit, Pierrakakis stressed the importance of artificial intelligence in all levels of education, saying that its “effect in the area of education is already decisive, with tools of personalized learning already developing and being used worldwide.”
Meanwhile, several Greek educators have already incorporated AI tools into their teaching, with the University of Patras offering a university-level, online educational program on AI for educators. This innovative program (the first of its kind in Greece or Europe) connects artificial intelligence with all levels of education. In the next few years, over 200,000 educators are expected to be trained through the program.
Artificial Intelligence among European students
A study conducted in six European countries in March by GoStudent, an education technology company offering private tutoring, found that over half (54 percent) of the 5,581 students surveyed want to learn with the help of artificial intelligence. The report attributes this enthusiasm to the adoption of AI tools by the public, who are already familiar with chatbots such as ChatGPT.
However, the study found that despite the students’ desire to get even more immersed in technology, there is a digital gap that prevents them from better preparing for the future. Students “express frustration that this is not immediately available to them,” said Felix Ohsawald, GoStudent’s co-founder and CEO.
In 2023, the European Commission called for “a massive boost in enabling digital education and providing digital skills.”
It further urged EU countries “to support high-quality informatics in schools, to mainstream the development of digital skills for adults, and to address shortages in information technology professions by adopting inclusive strategies.”
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