11th edition of World Innovation Summit for Education ends in Qatar

By Muhammet Tarhan

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - The 11th edition of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), of which Anadolu Agency is the Global Communication Partner, came to a close on Wednesday in the Qatari capital Doha.

WISE is an international and multi-sectoral platform for creative thinking, discussion and purposeful action on building the future of education through cooperation.

The closing session of the two-day summit at the Qatar National Convention Center was held, titled "Artificial Intelligence for Public Benefit.”

Speaking at the session, Conrad Wolfram, strategic director and European co-founder/CEO of the Wolfram group of companies, said education is at a turning point due to the rapid progress of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

"We are entering a new era that I can call the age of AI. This is the fastest advancing industrial revolution in history,” he said.

Emphasizing that more creativity is needed in the face of technological developments, he touched on the purpose of education and the role of teachers in directing creativity.

Wolfram said that mathematics education has become disconnected from real-world applications and this needs to be corrected to prepare students for the future.

Noting that it is now outdated to rely on manual calculation in mathematics education, he underscored the necessity of using machines to understand the subject in solving problems.

He said it is very important for people to understand what AI can and cannot do successfully.

-Teaching how to use knowledge in different ways

Speaking at a panel moderated by The New Yorker’s science writer Matthew Hutson, Qatar's Minister of Education and Higher Education Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi said her country was one of the first to adopt a national AI curriculum and launched it a few years ago.

She noted that this was based on "highly experiential learning and progressive pedagogy," adding they are working to strengthen STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), computational mathematics and thinking.

She said AI is used in education in Qatar, noting that "we have implemented some online platforms and classes and conducted many trainings within the scope of the latest e-learning strategy launched in 2022."

Noting that pedagogy will definitely change, Nuaimi said that "in the past, teachers were the source of all knowledge. But now we need to teach students differently how to confirm knowledge, how to use the knowledge that exists today."

She added that teachers play a critical role in developing students' emotional intelligence.

For her part, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic noted that the pace of development of AI has increased exponentially and the danger of abuse is too great.

Emphasizing the need for strategic leadership in the field of AI to address the lack of regulation at the global level, Kitarovic said that AI education can be personalized.

She said the European Union is in a leading position in AI regulation by investing €1 billion per year in development with a human-centered approach and said its concern is that AI could widen social gaps.

She also advised focusing on individual strengths and interests to provide a more personalized education.

-WISE

WISE 11, an initiative of the Qatar Foundation and organized this year with the theme "Creative Fluency: Human Development in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” focused on developing human creativity and values in the age of AI.

The summit covered a wide range of topics such as the impact of culture and language on educational systems, practical solutions for navigating an AI-driven world, neuro-education and developing future-oriented skills and best practices for implementing and scaling innovative educational models.

More than 300 speakers from around the world in the fields of education, business and academia took part in the summit, while local, regional and international experts also shared their views.

At the summit, more than 200 sessions were held in three thematic areas on various topics to find solutions to educational problems.

*Writing by Merve Berker