Israel's Education Minister Yoav Kisch is pushing an ambitious vision of AI-powered personalized learning across the country's schools. But a new study from Holon Institute of Technology reveals a stark gap between that vision and classroom reality: most teachers use AI to prepare lessons, not to teach with it, and the Education Ministry is seen as disconnected from needs on the ground.
The study, led by Prof. Gila Kurtz, dean of the Faculty of Instructional Technologies, found that teachers frequently turn to artificial intelligence for instructional planning - expanding on content (3.4 out of 5), getting inspiration for teaching methods (3.3), and preparing lesson plans (3.2). Classroom use was considerably lower. Independent student learning with AI scored 2.8, while creating unique learning products such as games or podcasts scored 2.7.
"Everyone looks at it as something good to have, but they don't use it for collaborative work or for products other than presentations," Kurtz said.
The ministry disconnect
The Education Ministry received a score of just 2.4 from teachers on its relevance to their AI integration needs. Only about half of teachers are familiar with the ministry's policy on technology integration. Teachers also reported limited pedagogical knowledge about incorporating AI into teaching (2.7) and limited systemic encouragement to bring the technology into the classroom (2.7).
Some 76% of teachers said they have limited pedagogical knowledge of AI integration or no knowledge at all. Another 66% said they do not incorporate independent student learning through AI, or do so only to a limited extent. Among principals interviewed for the study, 90% pointed to a gap between the education system's recognition of generative AI's importance and its actual implementation. They described progress as slow, uneven, and highly dependent on individual schools taking the initiative.
Against this backdrop, Kisch told the Knesset Education Committee that OECD education head Prof. Andreas Schleicher had described Israel as one of the world's leading countries in integrating personalized learning. But an attempt to source the statement found only a Channel 14 report indicating Schleicher predicted that expanding AI use in English and math could eventually place Israel among leading countries - a discussion of where Israel could go, not where it stands.
Teachers aren't ready
Dr. Rony Ramot, head of strategic planning and academic development at Seminar HaKibbutzim College, pointed to a 2025 Teachers Union survey showing close to 70% of Israeli teachers do not feel confident guiding students in artificial intelligence. A separate study by the National Authority for Measurement in Education (RAMA) found that only 32% of students feel their school teaches them how to use AI tools.
Ramot noted that UNESCO has called for teacher training before AI is integrated into education systems. "In Israel, the school schedule is built so that teachers have no time for training. Principals also aren't given the authority, autonomy and time to develop and shape AI policy," she said.
Former Education Minister Shai Piron, now president of the Pnima Israel organization, sees the ministry's approach as a top-down reform that misses the mark. "AI integration depends on grassroots initiative. The whole idea is matching needs. There's no such thing as a ministry building bots," Piron said. He argues that change won't come from a minister imposing reform from above. For educators looking to build these skills from the ground up, structured AI for Teachers Courses can help fill the training gap that ministry-led efforts have not yet addressed.
What the classroom becomes
Several researchers described a future where the teacher's role shifts fundamentally. "The teacher of the future won't transmit knowledge. Teacher training will need to shift toward conveying values, social skills and emotional intelligence," Piron said.
Dr. Amir Gefen of Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Education agreed. "All the processes of education, teaching and learning are being disrupted. The situation in which the teacher is the source of knowledge is over." He envisions teachers becoming facilitators who open lessons, let students work with AI, and move between them - then spend 20 minutes summarizing the work.
Prof. Yoram Harpaz of Beit Berl College of Education predicts physical spaces will change too. "There will no longer be a classroom with rows of Formica desks and students sitting facing the teacher. It will be more like the open-space cubicles of a tech company, with teachers moving among the students, guiding them and giving them attention."
The Amit network is already experimenting with this model. VP of R&D Michal Aflalo said every middle school student tries three learning methods - group instruction, independent AI learning, and in-depth research - then chooses how to study each subject. Teachers become mentors who set goals and teach skills. Aflalo acknowledged the resistance: "A third of the teachers are completely with us, a third are on the fence, and a third are in opposition."
The inequality risk
While Aflalo argues AI could narrow educational gaps by delivering identical content to students in the periphery and the center, Gefen sees the opposite risk. "The gaps will grow and the strong will get stronger, like always. The strong students get even better thanks to AI, and the average students copy-paste into the chat, and that causes them to fail."
Infrastructure disparities compound the concern. Survey data from the "Manhigim" organization of school principals showed that at 29% of schools, more than half of students lack a computer for remote learning. At another 52% of schools, more than 20% of students are without access. Kisch said the system is starting with English because language learning works on a mobile phone, which virtually all middle-school students have - though phones bring distractions that computers can more easily filter out.
The traditional assessment system also faces disruption. "If we're moving toward personalization, how do you administer a grade-wide exam? How do you issue report cards? How do you hold matriculation exams?" Piron asked. Ramot called Israel's assessment method "outdated" and based on memorization. For school leaders navigating these structural changes, AI for School Principals training addresses the implementation challenges that the study found most schools are struggling with on their own.
Why this matters for educators
The study makes clear that Israel's AI education push is running on a top-down timeline that doesn't match the readiness of teachers or the support they receive. For educators, the immediate takeaway is that AI literacy is becoming a professional requirement - not because a ministry mandates it, but because students are already using these tools, often without guidance. The gap between using AI for lesson prep and using it to teach represents a skill threshold that teachers will need to cross, and the infrastructure and training gaps mean individual initiative will likely outpace systemic support for some time.
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