Italy is taking significant steps to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its educational system to bridge the digital skills gap with other EU countries.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara announced that AI-assisted software will be tested in 15 classrooms across four regions, including Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, and Lombardy, as schools reopened on September 13, 2024.

Valditara emphasized the initiative's goal of creating tailored educational methods to provide a bespoke learning experience for students.

Collaboration with tech companies is expected to facilitate the development of AI tools that offer high-quality, government-backed educational materials.

If the pilot program proves successful, the government plans to expand the AI initiative to more schools across Italy.

This initiative coincides with the Italian government's recent ban on mobile phone usage in classrooms, even for educational purposes.

Previous attempts to digitize Italian schools faced challenges, particularly during the COVID pandemic, largely due to an aging teaching workforce, with over half of teachers aged 50 or older.

Italy currently ranks low in basic digital skills within the EU, outperforming only Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania, according to Eurostat.

Francesca Bastagli from the Fondazione Agnelli expressed optimism about the trial's potential to provide insights for future AI implementations in education.

The integration of artificial intelligence is increasingly seen as a means to enhance efficiency and productivity across various sectors, including education.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted AI as a key theme at this year's G7 summit, where leaders agreed to enhance cooperation on AI's benefits and risks.

The Italian government's initiative to integrate AI into education marks a significant step forward, aiming to modernize the educational landscape for the current academic year.