Italy Embraces AI in Schools to Bridge Digital Skills Gap

Italy is piloting artificial intelligence in schools to address its lagging digital skills. The program, championed by Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, will test AI-assisted software in 15 classrooms across four regions. This initiative aims to make learning more personalized and effective, addressing one of the lowest digital skills scores in the EU.

Italy is taking significant steps to integrate artificial intelligence into its educational system as part of a broader effort to bridge the nation's digital skills gap with other EU countries. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government is spearheading this initiative.

This week, Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara announced that AI-assisted software will be tested in 15 classrooms across four regions. The experiment, set to expand if successful, aims to provide 'virtual assistants' that facilitate learning for students and help teachers deliver more personalized education.

This initiative comes as Meloni also enforced a blanket ban on mobile phone usage in classrooms. Italy has historically faced challenges in digitalizing its schools, partly due to the advanced age of its teaching staff. This AI push coincides with Meloni's focus on AI at the year's G7 summit, where leaders pledged to deepen cooperation on AI benefits and risks.

(With inputs from agencies.)