The Future Investment Initiative (FII) has released a new report warning that education systems must deliberately preserve core human skills as artificial intelligence becomes deeply embedded in daily learning. Published ahead of the FII PRIORITY Europe 2026 Summit in Rome this June, the report argues that failing to teach these capabilities will leave students unprepared for a workforce where AI acts as a primary teaching tool.
Defining essential capabilities
The report categorizes necessary capabilities into two distinct groups: "non-negotiable" human skills and "AI-adjacent" skills. Non-negotiable skills include critical thinking, ethical reasoning, empathy, creativity, metacognition, collaboration, and the will to learn. These elements allow individuals to question sources, detect bias, and reach conclusions independent of algorithms or authority.
Conversely, AI-adjacent skills help people use technology purposefully rather than passively relying on it. This group includes prompt design, data fluency, and the ability to evaluate AI outputs critically. Educators looking to integrate these tools effectively can explore broader frameworks for AI for Education to guide their implementation.
Real-world adoption and student habits
Students are already integrating these tools into their daily routines at scale. A survey by the Digital Education Council found that in 2025, more than half of 3,839 students across 16 countries interacted with AI on a daily basis. Specifically, 86 percent used AI in their studies, with 54 percent using it weekly and 24 percent using it daily.
The report highlights practical applications already underway in classrooms. For instance, students in Seattle use translation and pronunciation tools to learn new languages. Meanwhile, a University of Nairobi pilot employs an AI-supported writing tool to help students improve drafts and receive feedback in large-class settings.
The human-centered mandate
Drawing on research from the Center for Sustainable Development's Task Force on AI and Education at Columbia University, the report aims to guide educators and policymakers. The goal is to adopt technology in a way that remains human-centered.
"The rapid expansion of AI compels education systems to examine how these technologies are reshaping the conditions for learning, teaching and personal development," the FII said in its report. It emphasized that while AI broadens digital capabilities and speeds access to information, institutions must not lose sight of human capacities central to the future of work.
"Education systems that fail to teach these skills are not just incomplete - they will produce people unprepared for a world of work with AI as a learning and teaching tool," the FII said. To maintain this balance, the report stresses that AI must be treated as a tool to support learning, not replace the effort and human interaction that underpins it.
Institutions can support this transition by providing structured training, such as an AI Learning Path for Teachers, to help staff adopt these tools purposefully and critically. Such resources ensure educators remain the primary drivers of student development.
Why this matters for educators
With nearly a quarter of students now using AI daily, the baseline for classroom instruction has permanently shifted. Educators must actively design assignments that require critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and independent analysis, rather than assuming students will develop these skills organically alongside AI use. Evaluating and teaching AI-adjacent skills, like prompt design and output verification, must become a formal part of the curriculum to prevent passive reliance on algorithms.
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