The integration of new technologies in education for deepening digital transformation is a matter of priority.

The emergence of new technologies, such as quantum computing, big data, and artificial intelligence, is transforming various sectors of human life, while also reshaping the organizational and service models of education. Intelligent technologies are emerging as a leading force in driving educational transformation, offering opportunities for accelerating progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals.

The Global Digital Compact, endorsed at the United Nations Future Summit, highlights the international community’s shared commitment to addressing the opportunities and challenges of digital technology for building an inclusive, open, fair, and secure digital future. As a follow up to the Global Digital Compact (2024), UNESCO and international partners have proposed six priorities for the digital transformation of education: i) coordination and leadership; ii) connectivity and infrastructure; iii) costs and sustainability; iv) capacity and culture; v) content and solutions and vi) data and evidence.

China has positioned the advancement of educational digitalization as a key component of educational modernization. This has evolved from the “3C” concept of connectivity first, content as the core, and collaboration as essential, to the “3I” actions of integration, intelligence, and internationalization. These actions are part of a broader strategy to advance the national digital education strategy, build a national smart education platform, and launch an international version. As a result, a new form of smart education has emerged, characterized by technology empowerment, green development, and open cooperation.

With the rapid pace of developments in technology, the education system is currently at a critical juncture, shifting from responding and adapting to external changes to proactively driving the transformation of education that is fit for the needs of contemporary realities. This shift requires us not only to focus on the direct application of intelligent technologies but also to understand the underlying logic of educational transformation, and cultivate talent that is ready and resilient shape the uncertain future. A key issue for the development of education in the new era is to recognize the need for a paradigm shift in the education and training ecosystem by harnessing the A key challenge for the development of education in this new era is recognizing the need for a paradigm shift in the education and training ecosystem, leveraging the tremendous potential of human-machine collaboration. This transformation will need to occur at all levels—policy, administration, the role of the teacher, pedagogy, assessment, student well-being, and opportunities for livelihoods—with a strong emphasis on fostering innovation, creativity, and talent development. Moving forward, it is essential to promote the ethical, responsible, and safe integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence into the educational ecosystem, ensuring that no one is left behind.

The integration of AI in education can foster new forms of human-machine collaborations.

The rapid development of generative AI, particularly pre-trained large language models (such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Grok, and others), has elevated the technological revolution to unprecedented levels. These AI models mark a historic inflection point in machine intelligence, not only accelerating the systemic transformation of educational paradigms but also providing a fresh impetus for redefining human-machine collaborative education. DeepSeek R1’s open-source strategy has lowered technological barriers, fostering an inclusive global environment that promotes free exploration and innovation among developers. This has catalyzed the creation of an “AI + education” ecosystem, characterized by openness, co-creation, and rapid iteration.

As generative AI evolves at an extraordinary pace, human-machine collaboration is set to become the ‘new normal’ in future work environments. To meet the societal demand for higher-order cognitive skills, innovation, and digital fluency, new models of knowledge generation and transmission are needed. This paradigm shift, driven by human-machine interactions, is poised to give rise to a transformative educational model.

With the advanced capabilities of large language models, intelligent agents will drive the evolution of multi-domain, human-machine “collaborative teaching.” This will facilitate bi-directional empowerment through human-machine “collaborative learning and decision-making,” creating a new ecosystem for smart education. The traditional “teacher-student” model will rapidly transform into a “teacher-student-machine” triad, fostering a multidimensional co-existence and interaction model known as “human-machine co-teaching.” For learners, the process will shift from passive knowledge absorption to active human-machine collaborative exploration, exemplifying “human-machine co-learning.”

Looking ahead, it is crucial to continually enhance the competencies and skills of both teachers and students, along with the digital leadership capabilities of educators and administrators. This includes establishing effective human-machine collaborative educational practices and developing technical, quality, and service standards for generative AI applications. These efforts will ensure the safe, efficient, and sustainable use of large models and intelligent agents in education.

Smart education is a shared strategic vision for achieving the Sustainable Development goals in education.

Smart education is a comprehensive approach that represents the future direction of educational transformation, driven by technological innovations. It is increasingly emerging as a shared strategic vision for countries to tackle the critical challenges of the digital era and advance the achievement of sustainable development goals in education. Often seen as an optimization of existing educational practices, smart education is frequently associated with terms such as “quality education” and “future education.”

As a concept that is continuously evolving, smart education not only reflects the dynamic nature of the educational ecosystem in response to social and technological advancements,  but also embodies the core principles of future education. At its core, smart education fosters innovation through the integration of technology and pedagogy with a human- centered approach. This means that smart education emphasizes student-centered pedagogy, comprehensive learning assessment models, pervasive smart and safe learning environments, a culture of continuous improvement, and a strong commitment to inclusion and equity.

Moreover, smart education focuses on proactively developing student communities, prioritizing teacher professional development, and ensuring the ethical and sustainable use of technology through effective collaborations. Advancing the digitalization of education and innovating smart education requires cultivating a digital mindset within the education system, strengthening digital support capabilities, enhancing public digital learning services for all, and establishing clear norms and standards for the quality of content and services in digital learning.

GSE 2025

Opening Doors, Fostering Collaborations

Since 2020, the Global Smart Education Conference (GSE) has become a significant platform for fostering international exchange and collaboration on smart education. To promote the effective practice of smart education worldwide, Beijing Normal University (BNU), in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALESCO), and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), jointly launched the “Global Smart Education Network (GSENet).” which released the “Global Smart Education Strategic Initiative” and the research report ‘International Understanding of Smart Education in the Context of Digital Transformation,” aimed at fostering a global consensus on smart education and continuously seeking ways to leverage new technologies to promote equitable and inclusive quality education for all.

As the annual conference of GSENet, the 2025 Global Smart Education Conference (GSE 2025) will be held in Beijing from August 18-20. This conference will focus on “Human-Machine Collaboration: Reshaping the Educational Ecosystem for the Future”. It will feature a series of events, including plenary sessions, parallel forums, high-level policy dialogues, workshops, and roundtable discussions. It will showcase and exchange best practices, research and solutions in smart education, foster global collaboration and networking, and explore new pathways for implementing smart education for the future of the planet and the people.