At the end of 2025, a workshop was held in Brussels on the theme of ‘EU drivers at the EU level for the effective adoption of AI in education’. This provided an opportunity to interview Arjana Blazic, who is spearheading the current AI Squad within the European Digital Education Hub. This initiative brings together professionals and education experts to discuss digital education and the opportunities that new technologies offer for teaching methods.

Hello Arjana, thank you for answering our questions. We would like to know more about your work, the place of AI within the Digital Education Hub, and how it benefits Education.

Could you introduce yourself? What is your background, what is your field of work? How did you come to work for the Digital Education Hub?

I began my career as an English and German teacher but have since transitioned to a freelance teacher trainer and course designer. I am based in Zagreb, Croatia, but I work mostly online on different projects and for different institutions. I am a senior adviser at European Schoolnet, where I contribute to the development of teaching and learning resources that aim at scaling up innovative and safe use of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and data. I was appointed by the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET) to lead an expert group responsible for developing AI curricula for primary and secondary schools, now implemented across Croatia. My interests focus on technology-enhanced teaching and learning and the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on teacher professional development. I love exploring AI tools and uncovering their educational potential. I am a life-long learner and that’s why I became a member of the European Digital Education Hub, where I now have a great honour and pleasure to lead the AI Squad Main drivers at the EU level for the effective adoption of AI in education. [a squad is a referent group dedicated to a certain topic within the Hub, ed.]

Let’s delve into the subject: AI is very promising for Education and opens a lot of opportunities to bring new way of teaching. Can you talk about what you’re working on?

The AI Squad I am leading brought together 45 selected members from across Europe, who represent a wide range of backgrounds spanning education and training (across sectors), policy, research, learning design, EdTech and related fields. At the beginning of the collaborative work, members were divided into subgroups, each tasked with exploring and developing one of the four main drivers that support the effective adoption of AI in education for different stakeholders. One key driver is Teacher Training in the Age of AI, which focuses on how continuous professional development needs to be reshaped to better support the use of AI in classrooms. The second driver Teachers as Co-Designers of AI. explores how educators can move beyond being end-users to become active contributors to the design of AI tools for education. It considers the knowledge, skills, and mindsets teachers need to engage in co-design, as well as the changes in school culture and policy required to recognise and empower teachers as innovators. The third driver is Public–Private Partnerships. This work examines how partnerships in the field of AI can improve teaching and learning outcomes and enhance the development of digital skills, rather than simply introducing new technologies or prioritising commercial interests. Finally, Data Literacy and AI is based on the belief that teachers need strong data literacy skills to use AI effectively. This driver explores how educators can design learning activities that help students critically understand, analyse and question how data and AI shape their learning experiences and everyday lives.

Development of AI is also raising some concerns on its long-term impact for children and students. What are the stakes of these innovations for Education? What is being done to prevent any negative effect?

AI itself is neither good nor bad. Whether it is used for good or for harm depends on us, humans. That’s why the most important step in preventing negative effects is lifelong learning: understanding what AI is and learning how to use it safely, responsibly and ethically. Teachers, in particular, need to develop these competence first, so they can then bring them into their classrooms and teach students to use AI safely and effecitvely.

This is especially important because teachers are already highly affected by AI. According to a JRC study reference in the Generative AI Outlook Report (2025) teachers were more exposed to AI than 90% of workers, largely because AI is relevant to many everyday teaching tasks.

The reality is that our students, both younger and older, are already using AI, more often than not despite proposed age limits. In many cases, they don’t use it well, not because they want to misuse it, but because they simply don’t know how. This is why teachers need to take responsibility for teaching students how to use AI thoughtfully, ethically and effectively.

At the same time, teachers also need support through training and professional development. AI technologies are new and are rapidly evolving. They didn’t exist in the form we see today. This means teachers must remain learners too. When they step into their students‘ shoes, they better understand what their students struggle with, they become more critical users themselves and they are far more likely to know how to help their students use AI in a smart way.

What is to be expected from the EU institutions and Member States on this topic?

It is important to invest in research and in the development of AI tools and technologies designed specifically for education. To do this well, all key stakeholders should be involved, including teachers, students, school leaders, policymakers, researchers and EdTech developers to ensure that AI tools respond to real classroom needs. In particular, AI tools should be adaptable, meaning that teachers can test them and tailor them to their own learning context, because teachers know their students best and understand the curriculum requirements and everyday realities of teaching. Continuous improvement is equally essential so it should be possible to systematically collect feedback from teachers, learners and other stakeholders to identify gaps and refine tools based on real user experience. Teachers need relevant, ongoing support and training, as well as an AI literacy framework to support the development of AI literacy among both teachers and students. At the same time, collaboration and partnerships between educational institutions and EU-based EdTech providers and developers should be strengthened and actively supported.

What is the role of the Digital Education Hub to reflect on AI and innovation?

The Digital Education Hub is an ideal space for fostering AI innovation in education. With several thousand highly engaged educators, it is really inspiring to see how eager Hub members are to learn from each other and share their knowledge, experiences and examples of good practice. What I especially enjoy is the opportunity to work in squads on different topics. The squads bring together international peers from different educational sectors and the work is always very intense and motivating. In just a few months, members collaborate closely to co-create relevant, practical materials. For me, being a true lifelong learner, participating in a squad is highly motivating because it is all about learning, sharing and creating something valuable together.

Do you want to know more about the European Digital Education Hub, its members and its work? You should visit its website and join the Hub! Feel free to reach out and bring your ideas to this journey.